Cool Starfish Facts for Kids, Sea Star Facts for Kids

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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.starfish1
  • 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.