Starfish Facts on Environmental Dangers and Threats
According to zoologists who study starfishes and their impact to the environment, these sea creatures have a very important role in the oceans. They may look like decorations in the ocean floor but they are actually considered as keystone species because they contribute in creating balance of species under the sea which can be done through predation. With the starfish facts that people already know, it will be a good start to know what these animals do so that people will give importance to them too.
Unfortunately, there are natural and man-made threats to the numbers of starfishes around the world. The fluctuating temperatures of the sea water can contribute to the migration of starfishes to area where the temperature is more suitable. According to researches, areas that do not have much starfishes can be infested with opportunist mussels. There is also a bacteria found in seawater that can cause wasting disease to starfishes.
The pollution caused by humans also affects these starfishes. When people pollute the waters, the contaminants in the water can get inside the bodies of the starfishes because of their vascular system. These starfishes do not have a good filtering system so oils and other pollutants can remain inside their systems and affect how they function.
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Preserving a Starfish
The first thing that you will do when preserving the starfish is cleaning it. Use a little mild soap and warm water for washing the starfish. Soak the animal for about forty-eight hours in rubbing alcohol. You do not have to clean the creature first, but you may choose to do so. If rubbing alcohol is not what you prefer to use, you may alternatively use a mixture of five parts water and one part formaldehyde. This solution will give More... 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... 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... 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... Feeding a Red Starfish
When considering feeding a red starfish, you need to observe the animal to see what it is and it is not eating. A red starfish could be feeding on bacteria out of your aquarium glass, but steering away from other foods that you provide for other inhabitants in your tank. As an omnivore, the starfish must be given nutrients from the two sources. If frozen, your food will have to be thawed. Use tweezers or forceps for putting a thawed More... Starfish Facts on their Senses
Even if starfishes look very peculiar and different from the rest of the animals that you typically see, they still have typical body functions and processes that other animals commonly share. They also have senses such as seeing, touching, and smelling. These senses may be some starfish facts that you may not have heard before. In terms of vision, starfishes actually have vision sensors which are eyespots that are specially located at the far ends of the starfish’s arms. These More... Body Cooling
All types of living organisms will always have a suitable environment where they can survive. Slight changes in the environment will be acceptable because of an organism’s ability to adapt. But when the environment gets too extreme, the organism’s adaptation mechanisms may not work anymore. Temperature plays a vital role when animals choose their habitat. Starfishes live under the sea but they can be affected by water temperature levels too. Based on starfish facts gathered by researchers, starfishes can start More... |