noun
- Plural of hydranth; the nutritive zooids of a hydroid colony, typically consisting of a mouth surrounded by tentacles used for feeding.
Usage: biology; zoology; technical term
Examples
- The hydranths of the hydroid colony extended their tentacles to capture small organisms from the water.
- Each hydranth is specialized for feeding and is connected to the shared gastrovascular cavity of the colony.
- Marine biologists observed the hydranths contracting when disturbed by the current.
- The hydranths reproduce asexually to form new individuals within the colonial structure.