Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica

Stars of the Sea

Jun 1 2002 (IPS) - Starfish are fantastical creatures: they look like inhabitants of the heavens and the scientific name that identifies them, “asteroidea”, only furthers that image. The shapes and colors of these mysterious beings capture the imagination.

The name asteroidea encompasses some 1,500 species grouped in several families. They are part of the echinoderms, which also include other mysterious ocean residents, such as the sea cucumbers, which are close relatives of the sea stars.

One Internet site dedicated to starfish states that they have inhabited the Earth for some 500 million years, a history that is corroborated by the great number of star fossils that have been found.

A large portion of the asteroidea species have five tentacles extending out from a center, creating their lovely star shape. However, some species have many more arms, even dozens of them, such as the crown-of-thorns, which some studies indicate can affect coral reefs.

The nucleus or central disk of the sea star is where the mouth is located. They are an animal species with a primary nervous system, meaning they do not have a brain. In order to process what is occurring around them, stars have sensors that can detect light and touch.

One of the most amazing characteristics of the sea stars is their regenerative capacity, which enters into action when they lose one of their arms. And there are some species that can even regenerate from a single tentacle.

On the Internet, sea stars have generated a great quantity of information. You can study their characteristics on the web, contemplate their different shapes, or even find answers to the most basic question: just what IS a sea star