A
tunicate is a marine
invertebrate animal, a member of the
subphylum Tunicata, which is part of the
Chordata, a
phylum which includes all animals with
dorsal nerve cords and
notochords. The subphylum was at one time called
Urochordata, and the term
urochordates is still sometimes used for these animals. Some tunicates live as solitary individuals, but others replicate by
budding and become
colonies, each unit being known as a
zooid. They are marine
filter feeders with a water-filled, sac-like body structure and two tubular openings, known as siphons, through which they draw in and expel water. During their
respiration and feeding, they take in water through the incurrent (or inhalant) siphon and expel the filtered water through the excurrent (or exhalant) siphon. Most adult tunicates are
sessile and are permanently attached to rocks or other hard surfaces on the ocean floor; others, such as
salps,
doliolids and
pyrosomes, swim in the
pelagic zone of the sea as adults. Various species are commonly known as
sea squirts, sea pork, sea livers, or sea tulips.