It's easy to believe that animals like us, creatures with heads, eyes, and brains, are the crowning achievement of evolution. But are we really? Echinoderms like sea stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers have no head, eyes, or centralized brains, yet they have proven themselves worthy competitors. In fact, they can live in places inaccessible to many other animals.
Echinoderms evolved like no other animals on Earth. Most animals evolved bilateral bodies equipped with a head, central nervous system and brain. But echinoderms opted for a different path. They adopted a five-part symmetry with no head to lead the way. Their bodies seem little more than a skeleton made of tiny little plates and water. They don't use large muscles working on large body parts like other animals. Instead they move on hundreds of tiny, water-filled tube feet operated by a hydraulic system that doesn't produce high-speed movement. Most move so slowly that, by our standards, they appear to be nearly stationary.
Scientists and now filmmakers have managed to bring these animals to vibrant life -- all through the use of time-lapse photography. When sped up, these animals spring into action competing for dominance, fighting for food, and hunting down prey just like lions on the Serengeti.
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