External Threats
The greatest threat to starfish is similar one which endangers most other seawater animals: human beings. Starfish needs clean and clear water as its habitat. When humans permit water pollutants to flow into the seas and oceans, these species can get extremely unhealthy and even die. In addition, there are several cultures that allow the eating of starfish. In case too many starfishes are brought away from any area, these beautiful seawater creatures will be deprived of the opportunity to multiply and worse, they can completely disappear. This threatening activity is referred to as “over harvesting”. We are unfortunate that most of their species continue to thrive and new species are always discovered as scientists keep on harmlessly exploring their habitats.
Global warming is believed to be a contributory factor to the disappearance of some starfish habitats. Most starfishes live in sea coral beds, which are unfortunately not growing as they must due to warmer waters. Although scientific researchers have never yet clearly defined the effect of global climate change on starfishes, the obvious harm of warmer waters is the decrease in the amount of food sources that these creatures basically need. Primarily, starfish feeds on snails, mollusks and clams. All of these animals tend to multiply less fast in warm temperatures.
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Modern Uses
Based on starfish facts, these animals are definitely very useful in keeping the equilibrium and balance in the food chain under the sea. These animals have a very wide preference when it comes to their diet which is why they can help control the number of opportunist organisms in the oceans. But aside from their usefulness in the environment, there are also other uses of these starfishes by humans. A common use of starfishes today is in the seawater aquariums. More... Starfish Facts on its Ancient History
When it comes to researching about starfish facts on their history, it is actually a very difficult process because starfishes are echinoderms and their species hardly leave any trace in their fossils aside from their external ossicles and spines. This makes it extra difficult for the researchers to spot and identify fossils that are strictly from the starfishes. But according to research findings, starfish fossils can be traced back to Ordovician which is roughly about 450 million years ago. There More... Starfish Facts on Movement
Starfishes are definitely not popular for their speed. Majority of the species of starfishes can actually just cover a distance of less than 10 inches in a single minute. Even if their speed when moving is not something that might interest the people, the method on how they transfer from one place to another is certainly fascinating. These are some of the starfish facts that many people want to know more about. If you take a look at the underside More... Starfish Facts on How They Protect Themselves
When a prey is being stalked by predators, the first reaction of the prey is always to flee the scene. It will only be during compromising situations wherein the prey would start to be in fight mode. Unfortunately, starfishes cannot just escape from predators because most of them are generally slow. So they use numerous other defense mechanisms to protect themselves. According to the starfish facts gathered by zoologists, certain species of starfishes have a chemical coating in their bodies More... Starfish Facts on Asexual Methods of Reproduction
Starfishes are animals that are known to be able to multiply through both the sexual and the asexual processes. Based on starfish facts, not all species of starfishes can asexually create an offspring. There are species that strictly multiply through the sexual methods. But the asexual reproduction of starfishes is definitely a very interesting topic especially to kids. The asexual process of preproduction by starfishes can be accomplished through two methods. These are autotomy and fission. Autotomy is the process More... Starfish Facts on their Diet
Starfishes are among the most fun- looking marine animals that kids really want to pick when they go to the beach. Because of their appearance, people get more interested about these animals. One of the common questions about starfish facts that kids ask is about the food and the diet of starfishes. The diet of these sea creatures is actually quite interesting because of the variety of food that they eat. There are more than one species of starfishes in More... Spines of Starfish Facts
If you find out about starfish facts, you will know that not all species of starfishes have spines on their backs. But majority of the living species have spines which are major parts of their exterior anatomy. These spines are extensions of the external dermis of the starfish which are composed of calcium carbonate. The spines may also be of different color than the rest of the body. Their tips can be sharp and pointed while others can be curved More... |