Background Information:
Specimen:
Stelleroidea (Sea Stars / Starfish)
Habitat:
Starfish are only found in the oceans. They are classified as Echinoderms, which are not found on land or in fresh water at all. Starfish mostly live on the ocean floor or on rocks and reefs that line the bottom of the ocean.
Food:
Starfish are actually predators, often eating mollusks, clams, and oysters. However, their prey must be slow moving in order for them to catch their food. Other starfish eat dying fish and snails.
Respiration:
A starfish breathes through its arms. Each arm contains tubes made of very thin tissue that allow gas to travel throughout the starfish's body easily. These tubes let water in through pores so oxygen can be taken in, then carbon dioxide can be passed out.
Fun Fact:
A starfish's most vulnerable areas are located in the center of its arms, but is usually facing the surface they cling too. Once a starfish has caught it's prey, it uses its arms to break away anything it cannot digest, then pushes its stomach out of it's mouth and eats the soft tissue of its prey.
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