The basic body plan of a cnidarian is a sac with a central digestive compartment, the gastrovascular cavity. A single opening to this cavity functions as both mouth and anus. This basic body plan has two variation: the sessile polyp and the floating medusa (FIGURE 29.8). Polyps are cylindrical forms that adhere to the substratum by the aboral end of the body and extend their tentacles, waiting for prey. Examples of the polyp form are hydras and sea anemones. A medusa is a flattened, mouth-down version of the polyp. It moves freely in the water by a combination of passive drifting and weak contractions of the bellshaped body. The animals we generally call jellyfishes are medusas. The tentacles of the jellyfish dangle from the oral surface, which points downward. Some cnidarians exist only as polyps, others only as medusas, and still other pass sequentially through both medusa and polyp stages in their life cycles. This dimorphic (dual body form) life history is a unique feature of the cnidarians.