Starfish Essay, Research Paper

The common name for the starfish is the sea star. There are an estimated

1500 living species of these marine animals characterized by having no back

bone (invertebrate) and having arms which are all around the body with

locomotery tubed feet.

Generally starfish are rather stiff bodied animals that crawl slowly accorded

the bottom of the ocean floor. Their mouth is directly under them . They

have arms radiating all around them, each arm has many rows of tube feet

used for crawling, attachment, and eating. Their arm length varies, as well as

the number of arms. They could have as little as four all the way to as many

as fifty they usually have no anus if they do have one it is on the top of their

body structure. Their skin is rough and leathery, it usually has spines or

spikes of some sort. The animal has a large gut, a complex system of body

cavities, and a simple brain less nervous system.

Starfish are found at the bottom of the ocean. They play an important role in

the communities, because they eat a variety materials and are often

numerous. Some are pests to the oyster beds. Sometimes some species of

starfish have population explosions that damage coral reefs through over

feeding on the coral. Some adult animals feed on starfish but they don’t taste

very well nor are they nutritious.

Scientific Classification, Starfish belong to the phylum Echinodermata. They

constitute the class Asteroidea

The star fish is the most un common animal in the marine aquariums and The

marin biologists are not fastinated by the animals in the marine world

.