Untitled Document
 Here's
an easy question. Where can you see the stars? Yes, if you look high
into the night sky, you can see many stars. But did you know that
there are stars that actually live here on Earth? They are not twinkling like the ones in
the sky. Actually, they crawl slowly across the sandy floor of the oceans. Yes, that's right.
They are called sea stars or starfish.
There are 1,500 kinds of starfish in the world. Starfish are invertebrates. This means they have no backbone. Most starfish have
5 arms. Yes, that's why they look like a star! But some starfish have
more or fewer arms. These arms radiate from the body, and
help the starfish move slowly along the ocean floor, searching for
food.
 So,
what do starfish feed on? They are hungry
for many things. But they usually eat mussels, clams, and oysters. They can also eat
big sea animals by extending their stomachs! And they digest the food outside of their bodies.
Yes, they'll do anything for a good meal!
Starfish have a good sense of smell. They use
it to find their prey. Some starfish can also
sense light. Starfish don't
have to worry much about being eaten.
This is because they do not taste very good to larger
prey. Besides, they are not very nutritious.
Many starfish have the ability to regenerate lost body parts
by themselves. In some cases, new starfish can grow from the fragment of the arm that
was lost! Isn't that amazing? |
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