Aristotle's lantern

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A highly complex internal apparatus used for feeding, and is only present in some sea urchins. It is made up of five united calcium carbonate teeth or jaws. Within these teeth is a fleshy tongue-like structure.

[edit] How Aristotle's Lantern got its name

Aristotle left Plato's Academy in Athens at around 40 years of age, and began a series of investigations during a two-year stay on Lesbos Island that would be the first of its kind. He began to systematically sort, take apart (only a primitive form of dissection), identify, and classify large groups of animals and plants. He became especially interested in sea urchins, as he came upon them at the island and discovered their intricate internal structures.

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