Despite their name, starfish are not fish. They lack a backbone, fins and gills found in fish. They are marine animals. They do not have gills, scales, or fins like fish do. Because they are not classified as fish, scientists prefer to call starfish “sea stars.” If you thought a starfish has only five arms, think again. There are some species with as many as 50 arms. They have light-sensitive eyespots on the tips of their arms which help them in finding food. They can regenerate lost limbs and swallow large prey using their unusual stomachs. This means that some starfish can even regenerate an entirely new sea star from just one arm and a portion of the star’s central disc. This won’t happen too quickly, though; it takes about a year for an arm to grow back. There are about 2,000 species of sea stars.2? Some live in the intertidal zone, while others live in the deep water of the ocean. While many species live in tropical areas, sea stars can also be found in cold areas—even the polar regions. Starfish (or sea stars) are beautiful marine animals found in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.
Credit : ThoughtCo.
Picture Credit : Google
