The mantle contains the lophophore , a tentacular feeding apparatus. The coelom contains the brachiopod's organs. The animal's mouth leads to the oesophagus, which passes through the anterior body wall and connects to the stomach. The intestine leads from the stomach and which terminates as a blind end in the rhynchonelliform brachiopods, but leads to a functional anus in the linguliform and craniiform brachiopods. In general, however wastes are expelled by diffusion across the mantle epithelium.
Some brachiopods also have adjustor muscles which connect to the pedicle.
The pedicle is the fleshy stalk used by many brachiopods to attach themselves to the substrate. In the Rhynchonelliformea the pedicle forms from the rudimentary segment of a larval pedicle. In the Linguliformea and Craniiformea the pedicle emerges as an outgrowth of the ventral mantle epithelium. Feeding Behaviour Brachiopods possess a tentacular feeding apparatus called a lophophore. These three phyla are collectively termed lophophorates.