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Sugar Starfish are also highly fashionable! A p p a r e n t l y . |
Sugar Starfish
Sugar starfish or sea stars are part of phylum Echinodermata They belong to class Asteroidea. Starfish play a huge ecological role. Starfish are classified as a type of KEYSTONE species. Without starfish, mussels will out-compete many organisms that co-exist in the area. An imbalance in the number of one species can have many drastic effects on the ecosystem!
Starfish also have the ability to regenerate. Meaning if you were to cut an arm of a starfish it could grow that arm back. Some need to have a part of the central disk attached to their body in order for them to regenerate.
Most starfish are dioecious, there being male and female individuals. Though you cant tell if they are male or female externally, it is more apparent when they are spawning. Some starfish can reproduce asexually. All they have to do is plop off one of their arms with a part of the central disk, and there they have it! Another starfish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cec4YPXBnXk#!
Respiration occurs through the tube feet of the starfish. It also occurs through the papulae that dot the surface of the body. The starfish has no distinct excretory system so excretion is performed through the tube feet and papulae.
Starfish move using a water vascular system. Water comes in the system, circulates the ring canal and carries water to a portion of the tube feet.
The nervous system of a starfish is rather complex. They have a distributed brain. Starfish have a network of interlacing nerves. The tube feet, spines are sensitive to touch while the eye-spots on the end of the rays are sensitive to light.
The mouth of the starfish is located in the centre of the oral surface and opens through a short oesophagus into the cardiac stomach then into the pyloric stomach. Starfish have two stomachs. (little weird)
Lastly! Starfish have 3 germ layers endoderm, ectoderm, mesoderm.
While searching up for all my information on starfish, I found that starfish have a hidden talent. They can D a n c e! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=faMbUcTcDUE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cec4YPXBnXk#!
Respiration occurs through the tube feet of the starfish. It also occurs through the papulae that dot the surface of the body. The starfish has no distinct excretory system so excretion is performed through the tube feet and papulae.
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| Anatomy of a starfish |
The nervous system of a starfish is rather complex. They have a distributed brain. Starfish have a network of interlacing nerves. The tube feet, spines are sensitive to touch while the eye-spots on the end of the rays are sensitive to light.
The mouth of the starfish is located in the centre of the oral surface and opens through a short oesophagus into the cardiac stomach then into the pyloric stomach. Starfish have two stomachs. (little weird)
Lastly! Starfish have 3 germ layers endoderm, ectoderm, mesoderm.
While searching up for all my information on starfish, I found that starfish have a hidden talent. They can D a n c e! :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=faMbUcTcDUE
