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- A starfish isn’t really a fish.
- Starfish are also called sea stars.
- A starfish is an echinoderm.
- An echinoderm is a type of marine animal that have a similar number of body parts arranged around a central axis, a calcium containing inner skeleton and a water vascular system.
- Sand dollars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers are other types of echinoderms.
- There are around 2,000 species of starfish.
- Starfish are found in every ocean.
- Starfish do not live in freshwaters like lakes or streams
- Starfish can come in many colors. Some common colors are red, orange, yellow and coral colors.
- A common starfish has 5 arms, but some starfish have up to 40 arms!
- Starfish have the ability to regrow their arms.
- If a starfish is caught by a predator they will sometimes drop their arms to escape then grow them back.
- Depending on the species starfish can be between 4-11 inches big.
- They can weigh up to 11 pounds.
- The lifespan of a starfish also depends on species, some live up to 35 years.
- Starfish are carnivores meaning they are meat eaters.
- Starfish eat clams, oysters, snails and tiny fish.
- Starfish do not have blood or brains.
- Instead of blood they have a water vascular system.
- Different species of starfish feel different. Some have a leather like feel others feel prickly.
- Starfish cannot swim. They move across the ocean by hundreds of tube feet on their arms and body.
- Starfish have tiny microscopic eyes at the top of each arm.
- Even though they have many eyes they cannot see very well.
- A starfish’s mouth is in the center of their underside.
- They have two stomachs.
- Female starfish can make millions of eggs.
- They release the eggs into ocean never going back to care for them.
- Starfish can change gender from male to female or female to male at any time.
