Super Starfish

Appearance                

Starfish, sea stars or Asteroidea (their scientific name) are usually star shaped echinoderms. The starfish that I saw were murky green due to their surroundings. It took me forever to actually see them. They were camouflaged perfectly!

Try to spot it in the first picture:

 (Clue: look in the middle, slightly towards the bottom half of the page.)
Their appearance really depends on the species. Some have neon colours as a threat, so predators won´t try and eat them! They'll leave them alone, because they'll think the starfish is poisonous. Here is a close-up of the starfish in the picture above: 

Diet

Most starfish will eat anything that is as slow as it is, such as: clams, oysters, sand dollars and mussels. They will also eat injured fish and snails when they can find them. While some have found a liking for seaweed, even though it has lower nutritional levels, others can be on the prowl for sponges, plankton and even coral to snack on. 

Although, what I find interesting (and slightly weird!) is how they eat. Believe it or not, they first break some of the muscles of their victim, and since their mouth is facing down, they have to force their  stomach through their mouth and devour it whole. After that, they have to swallow their stomach again and leave their  ``delicious´´ meal to digest. 

Fun Facts!

• Starfish don`t actually have brains! Instead they use their nervous systems.
• Even though their name clearly states that they are starfish, they aren`t fish at all. Like I said at the start they are commonly star shaped echinoderms, which means they are marine invertebrates.
• There are 2 000 types of starfish.
• They pump water around their body instead of blood! So the next time you might harm a starfish in shark infested water, don`t freak!
• If you do happen to break a starfish`s limb off, don`t worry; the can regrow body parts!