Emerick Elementary September 19, 2013 Share September 19, 2013 Emerick just recieved our first starfish (chocolate chip) and anemone. Our questions: How many different colors can starfish be? What do starfish eat? Why does the starfish have black spikes on top? How do the starfish fish stick onto the side of the tank? What do anemones eat? How many different types of starfish are there? How big can starfish get? Are chocolate chip starfish endangered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime September 19, 2013 Share September 19, 2013 Hello Mrs. Nole's class! Those are all great questions! I will answer them based on what I know, but others will have more detailed answers, and much more knowledge than me! 1.) Starfish can be ALL sorts of colors. I think you can probably find a starfish in just about any color you want! 2.) Starfish, even though they seem slow, are what we call predators (an animal that preys on other animals.) They usually keep full on clams, oysters, and muscles, slower moving animals that the starfish can catch! 3.) I don't know why the starfish has black stripes on top. My best guess is that it's a defense, and used to scare away predators that might want to eat the starfish! 4.) The starfish can stick to glass (or in nature rocks) by using hundreds of tiny little feet, which act as natural suction cups. 5.) Anemones eat meat (making them carnivores.) the are usually stuck to one spot, but they can use their foot to travel around if need be (they usually don't in the wild I think, unless they are uncomfortable with their location.) They will eat whatever they can catch with their tentacles that comes near them, like small fish, crabs, and plankton. The Anemone catches its prey by stinging it with its tentacles. The clown fish is the only fish that builds up a slime coat to tolerate the sting from an anemone, and they will live inside it, or what we call host. The Anemone will offer the clowns protection, and in turn, the clowns will sometimes bring the Anemone food. This is what is called a symbiotic relationship. 6.) How many different types of starfish are there? Good question, and I had to look this one up. What I found is that there are over 1800 different species of starfish in the world! WOW! 7.) A starfish can reach up to over a foot! That's bigger than your face! Starfish can also regenerate their limbs, so if something bites off one of their legs, it will grow back again! 8.) The chocolate chip star fish is not endangered! I hope that helps clear up some of your questions! Enjoy watching your new reef inhabitants! -Isaac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami September 19, 2013 Share September 19, 2013 "Sea stars" come in a wide variety of colors. I've seen blue, red, green and orange ones. The chocolate chip sea star colors range from beige through brown and even a deep orange. Most sea stars are not very picky about what they eat. They are opportunistic predators, feeding on bacteria, small worms, and whatever else they can find. Some, like the Crown of Thorns sea star, eat coral and are a threat to coral reefs. Sea stars are also scavengers. Sea stars often have a tough or spiny skin (that's why they're in the scientific grouping - or phylum - called echinodermata, which means "spiny skin"). The brown or black spikes on your chocolate chip sea star are for it's protection. It makes it tougher to eat. If you look very closely at your sea star as it holds itself to the side of your tank, you will see lots of very tiny tube-shaped "feet" that it uses to hold itself to the glass. Anemones are very different than a sea star. Anemones are actually more closely related to a coral and jellyfish in that they have specialized cells that can sting prey. They will eat small particles of food that float by, but can also capture small shrimps and fish sometimes. There are many, many different kinds of sea stars all around the world. I've personally seen sea stars as large as 18 inches. I'm sure there are still larger ones in the ocean. Chocolate chip sea stars are not endangered. Great questions! I hope that you're enjoying your tank and your sea star and your anemone. Now I have a question for you: Does your school library have a book about starfish or sea anemones? I encourage you to read even more about them. They are fascinating animals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef September 19, 2013 Share September 19, 2013 (edited) Hello there! My daughter (a first grader) has had a lot of questions about starfish as she loves them as well...here is are a few little facts that we learned together: There are over 2,000 different species of sea stars in all the oceans on earth. 5 arms is usually the normal but they can have 10, 20 or 40 arms!! Their colors are to camouflage them from other animals that want to eat them...so they hide from them to stay alive There are no freshwater sea stars Most of all their vital organs are in their arms...so if they lose a leg they can regrow one even entire bodies!! A star fish is not really a fish although that is what they are named. it is an echinoderm A sea star has no brain! Edited September 19, 2013 by sachabballi reef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now