Starfish are also known as sea stars because they look like stars. Despite the name given to them, these beautiful bright sea creatures are not fish. They belong to the Asteroidea family and come in a variety of 1800 species! They are different from other sea creatures because of the five spiky arms which makes them look like stars. What is interesting about these sea stars is that if they lose an arm, another new one grows in its place, so they are never armless! The Cosnasterias Calamaria is the largest starfish specie, it has eleven arms. And if it stretches one arm, its length can go up to 30cm. Most starfish are brightly colored while some have stripes within them. The bodies are also spiky for protection. Starfish interestingly has two stomachs; the cardiac stomach and the pyloric stomach. The cardiac stomach helps the starfish to engulf food outside its body while the pyloric stomach stores food within the body. A Starfish’s mouth is located on its lower surface. These sea creatures have tiny eyes at the end of each arm which help them to view movements and differentiate between light and darkness. Starfish are found in all the oceans around the world. A large variety of the same is seen in the tropical oceans like the Indian and Pacific oceans. They also live in the coral reefs (sea plants) that are found in the deepest ends of the sea. Starfish are never found in fresh water. Ends
