Britannica
Sources used in this answer
What is the tough outer tunic of a tunicate made of?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
tunicate
Blue spot sea squirt (Clavelina moluccensis), a colonial tunicate.
The tough outer tunic of a tunicate is primarily composed of cellulose, a glucose polysaccharide that is typically found in plants rather than animals. This unique substance, sometimes referred to as tunicin or animal cellulose, serves as an external skeleton that protects and supports the animal's body.123