Sea Star

Design

To feed on hard-shelled prey like a clam, the sea star firmly grasps it with its arms until the clam slightly opens its shell. The sea star then pushes its stomach out of its mouth and into the clam and begins to digest its insides. When the clam is digested, the sea star pulls its stomach back inside its own body. The information for such a feeding habit was given to the sea star by its all-knowing Creator.

Features

• The sea star usually has five sections or arms, or multiples of 5, 10, 20, or even 40 arms.
• The top half of its body is covered by a hard, spiny covering, with small pincers. Its underside is soft and fleshy, with dozens of tube feet on its arms, which function in movement and feeding.

Fun Facts

• Sea stars are also known as starfish, but they are not fish at all.
• A sea star can regrow arms that are lost, and if cut in half, some sea stars can grow into two separate creatures.
• The fastest sea star moves at 360 ft per hour (110 m/h)—that’s only slightly faster than a snail.