Starfish – star animal

Starfish are animals that live in all the world’s oceans. They look like stars and have five arms. Their eyes are located at the tip of each arm. But they are not fish because they do not have backbones. There are about 1,800 species of starfish. They can be of many colors: brown, red, orange, pink, blue, purple, yellow. They are 20 to 30 centimeters across and are covered with short spines. Starfish eat clams, oysters, and snails.
Starfish grow another arm if they lose one.
Acanthaster (the crown-of-thorns starfish) has become famous for the damage it does to coral reefs, moving over the reef and stripping it clean of coral polyps.
The sense of smell is quite sensitive.

Interesting facts
– Starfish haven’t the brain and blood, but have unique eyes and the ability to digest food outside of the body.
– Starfish can be not only in the shape of the star but also in the form of the sun, with rounded bodies and numerous arms.

Amazing starfish

– The largest starfish in the Pacific Northwest can reach 1 meter in diameter and weigh up to 5 kilograms, and have up to 20 arms.
– Starfish lives without blood by pumping seawater through its body. Thus, it receives nutrients, oxygen and other important fluids.
– They have up to 15,000 tiny suckers on their arms.
– They are cannibals and eat small offspring even of their own species.
– Starfish have two stomachs.
– They can change sex. Some species have both male and female organs and can take on any role in mating. They carry their young on their backs until they are ready to go their own way.
– They do not have gills.
– There are poisonous starfish.
– Some species live up to 30-35 years.
– They appeared about 250 million years ago.