Starfish have no brain, no blood and no central nervous system. The COTS cause almost as much damage as coral bleaching, like on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia.ġ0. COTS eat exclusively coral polyps and cause the coral to turn white and die. The crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) is found in the Indo-Pacific and outbreaks of them cause damage to coral reefs. Not all starfish have 5 arms, some have up to 24 arms, like the sunflower sea star!ĩ. Starfish are eaten by other sea stars, fish, manta rays and sharks.Ĩ. The tube feet help the sea star move, and manipulate its prey.ħ. They create suction by sucking in seawater. They range in color from red, orange, brown (there’s a chocolate chip sea star), purple, yellow and more!ĥ. There are 1,600 kinds of starfish in the ocean. Then it sucks back in its stomach to finish digesting.Ĥ. To eat, a starfish spits out its stomach and digests whatever it’s eating (like a mussel or snail) on the outside of its body. If an arm of a starfish becomes detached, it can grow a new one (though it might take up to a year to grow)!ģ. Starfish aren’t fish! They are echinoderms, invertebrates, and are related to sea urchins and sand dollars.Ģ. Starfish/Sea Star photo from Wikimedia Commons by EsMyntġ.
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