Other Cool Starfish Facts
There are various marine creatures, such as manta rays and sharks, which can prey on starfishes and penetrate their solid skin. There are species of birds that can feed on starfishes, which come too close to the water surface. The larger starfish species may sometimes feed on smaller marine species. The lifespan of a starfish can be up to thirty-five years if it is able to get away from its numerous predators.
What makes the starfish very different from most other marine creatures is that it does not have blood. Filtered seawater in its body is the one that performs the function of blood. Although it has a number of stomachs, the starfish is not blessed with a brain. The pyloric stomach is responsible for the complete digestion while the cardiac one lets the creature eat a prey. Apart from the aforementioned ones, other preys of starfish are small fishes, barnacles and oysters. When the starfish eats shelled preys, it should first use its suction cups in order to make an opening and be able to use its cardiac stomach. Starfishes are also commonly called “sea stars”.
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Feeding a Starfish
Nowadays, marine scientists call starfish “sea stars”, since they are actually not fish, but echinoderms. There are more than two thousand species of sea stars. Most of them have five arms, but others are blessed with up to forty arms. The stomach and mouth of the starfish are located on its bottom. These animals usually push their stomachs from their bodies, wrapping them around the food for digestion. When learning how to feed a starfish, identify what type your starfish More... Is your Starfish Still Alive or Already Dead?
In order to tell whether a starfish is alive or dead, you need to observe it. Starfishes do not move frequently, but they move whenever they are fed. The starfish is alive if it is moving. Now, wear a pair of gloves that are waterproof. Gently scoop up the starfish without getting it out of the water. The animal can be stressed by any sudden alterations in its environment, and caused to start disintegrating or to shed their limbs. Being More... Structure of Body
Starfish is not really fish because fish is composed of backbones, fins and gills. Starfish is an echinoderm, which is an invertebrate that has a proportional radial body. Instead of scales, starfish species are mostly equipped with a leathery, rigid skin, which protects them against the attack of predators like birds and fishes. Calcium carbonate makes up the skin of all starfishes. Most of the starfish species are equipped with five arms, which extend out of a central point; nonetheless, More... 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... Handling Dead Sea Stars
Also referred to as sea stars, starfish are marine echinoderms that you can find on tide pools and beaches across the globe. National Geographic reports that there are more than two thousand species of starfish, though they all have the same physical appearance, which is composed of brittle and boney calcified skin. In the event that you find this creature, either dead or alive, you must handle it very carefully so that its fragile arms, will not be injured or 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... Hunting Techniques
Starfish facts indicate that these animals have a generalist diet which means that can eat almost anything from clams and snails to dying fishes. But with the speed of these starfishes on the bottom of the ocean, one would definitely wonder how these animals can catch or hunt their prey. Starfishes begin hunting their prey through their keen senses. They can actually detect the presence of a prey’s odor. So when their senses detect prey, the legs begin to act More... |