Know what starfish is?

By Harmony, 11th Aug 2012 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/1b58llwp/
Posted in Wikinut>News>Environment

Starfish or sea stars are animals that live in the ocean. They are not actually fishes.

Sea stars are marine invertebrates.
How starfish swim.
What starfish eat.
How starfish survive.
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Sea stars are marine invertebrates.

starfish

Starfish, or sea star, is an invertebrate that lives mainly in an oceanic environment. These unique and unusual creatures have a number of arms that protrude away from their spiny skinned bodies. The exact number of arms depends on the species; some have only three, and the most is 42. Most people commonly associate the starfish with haveing five arems. However, there are many species of starfish that have 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 arms.

How starfish swim.

Each arm that extends out of the "body" is covered on the bottom by many tube-like feet. These feet help convey the starfish but taking water in and the pumping it out, therefore enabling it to move. When the water is pumped, the feet extend and contract. The pumping of the water is implemented by a complex structure of internal valves that use hydraulic pressure. The tube feet help the starfish in feeding, as well as locomotion.
Most species of starfish eat a variety of foods, some being meat, and others plants, therefore making it an omnivore.

What starfish eat.

Its diet includes plankton, coral, and oysters. The larger specied tend to eat birds, predominantly the sea gull. The starfish will catch the bird while it is searchig for fish to feed on and then proceed to drown it. It then eats and digests its prey. These large starfish also tend to feed on sea urchins, fish, and crabs. This makes the larger species carnivores, as opposed to omnivores.

How starfish survive.

Even though the starfish has the ability to regenerate body limbs that have been torn away from their body, if any internal tissue is even slightly damage, the creature will most likely die. Other than this limitation, the starfish is subject to immortality. The starfish can vary in color, from the bright and vivid designs of the tropical species, to the dull oranges and yellows of the deep-ocean dwellers. Blue, red, and green are very common colors that appear on the star.