Sea Stars

Although sea stars are often called “starfish,” they’re not related to fish at all! Sea stars are invertebrates with radial symmetry and tube feet that help them move using water pressure. In their larval form, they swim using tiny hairlike cilia on their body.

Sea stars are often found under rocks or in crevices. Their mouth, on the underside of their body, has no teeth. When feeding, sea stars wrap their arms around their prey and push their stomach out of their mouth to eat their food. They’re toxic to some predators, but if captured, sea stars can drop an arm to try to escape. They can regrow lost arms—and even an entire new body from a single arm and part of the central disc of their body!