zoophyte

/ˈzoʊəˌfaɪt/
noun
  1. An animal that looks like a plant, such as a coral, sea anemone, or sponge.
    • In biology class, we learned that a zoophyte is an animal that stays fixed in one place like a plant.
    • Coral reefs are built by tiny zoophytes called coral polyps.
    • The aquarium had a special tank for zoophytes like sea anemones.