Can You Spare an Arm?

Starfish Don’t Look Like Fish Starfish (which aren’t fish, but are invertebrates like urchins and sponges) can not only regrow lost or damaged limbs, they may even shed an arm to escape a threat.--natgeokids.com

You read it first in this week’s The Factory in Guide magazine.

Going to the aquarium can be fun! You can see things you would maybe never see otherwise, especially if you don’t live near the water.  While there, you can see a lot of fish and even something called a starfish  - which is actually not a fish at all!

Typical starfish have about 5 arms/legs coming together at a central disc. They come in a multitude of colors, anywhere from blue or ivory to pink or brown. They can live about 35 years in the wild. 

They are carnivorous, (that means they eat meat) and they have no gills, fins, scales or backbone. They are invertebrates, which means they do not have a vertebral column. In fact, there are about 1,600 different species of starfish in the waters around the world. There are quite a few other creatures that are invertebrates. Some include squid, crabs, sponges, sea urchins and a number of insects, too.

Did you know that starfish have no brain or heart? They also don’t have blood. Seawater is pushed through their body delivering vital nutrients. In order to eat, they do something very interesting. They have a stomach that can digest food outside their body so that it can fit in their mouth.  This allows the food to be further broken down inside their body.

The largest starfish ever recorded is the very fragile brisingid Midgardia xandaros. In 1968, a specimen was collected in the Gulf of Mexico by a Texas AM University research vessel The Alaminos. The starfish measured an astonishing 1.38 m (4 ft 6 in) from tip to tip!

As well as their tough, prickly, armor-like skin, some have striking colours that camouflage them amongst plants and coral, or scare off potential attackers. And check this out, too – these cool creatures are able to regrow lost or damaged limbs! If under attack, some starfish will even shed an arm to escape the predator. It may take several months, but their limb will grow back! Amazing!

“O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions— This great and wide sea, In which are innumerable teeming things, Living things both small and great.” Psalm 104:24-25

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.