April 15, 2011

Fallen Stars of the Sea ~ Star Fish!

I always love to hold and see Star Fish!  One day last winter, my sister and I saw hundreds of them at one of our local beaches!  It was such an amazing sight. I love how they all are different colors, sizes and even shapes.

  Starfish-lg
Fact #1 Starfish are also known as sea stars and are not really fish despite the name given to them. These are echinoderms, which are found abundant in the deep blue seas and shallow waters as well.
 
Fact #2 In case a starfish loses its arm, it is capable of regenerating the same!
 
Fact #3 Starfish are not completely blind, even though they do not have eyes. Starfish sense light and shapes through an eyespot (an organ sensitive to light) located at the tip of their arms.
 
Fact #4 There are over 2,000 species of starfish.
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Fact #5 Starfish are about 5 to 10 inches, and can weigh 11 lbs.
 
Fact #6 Sea stars belong to the Phylum Echinodermata. That means they are related to sand dollars (yes, they are a real animal), sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.
  Starfish2
Fact #7  Depending on the species, a sea star's skin may feel leathery, or slightly prickly. Sea stars have a tough covering on their upper side, which is made up of plates of calcium carbonate with tiny spines on their surface. A sea star's spines are used for protection from predators, which include birds, fish and sea otters.
 
Fact #8 They have bony, calcified skin, which protects them from most predators, and many wear striking colors that camouflage them or scare off potential attackers. Purely marine animals, there are no freshwater sea stars, and only a few live in brackish water.
 
Fact #9  Not all sea stars have 5 arms!  While the five armed variety are the most well known, not all sea stars have five arms.  Some have many more. Take the sun star for instance, which has up to 40 arms!
Starfish
Fact #10  Starfish normally live up to 35 years in the wild.  Wow!

 

 

Apr 15, 2011 12:05:18 AM | ANIMAL ADVENTURES, HORSE PALS CLUB, HORSE PALS' ANIMAL STORIES

1 Comment

Anita Laydon Miller

I'm 40-years-old and you've just taught me so much. I'll share the starfish info with me kids. Thanks!

Posted by: Anita Laydon Miller | April 27, 2011 at 08:04 PM

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Gentle Giants ~ Elephants My grandma's favorite animal is the Elephant! And they are one of mine, too! They are very beautiful! I love how wise they look and how they are all about family! They all love one another! Fact #1 Despite the size of ears, the elephant’s hearing is poor and elephant's eyes are small and its eyesight is poor as well. African elephants' ears are used to aid ventilation. One of the softest parts of their body is at the back of the ears, which is called the knuckle. Elephant trainers, called Mahouts, use their feet to steer or give commands to the animal via the knuckle at the back of the ears. Fact #2 African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their larger ears that look somewhat like the continent of Africa. (Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears.) Fact #3 An elephant's trunk is actually a long nose used for smelling, breathing, trumpeting, drinking, and also for grabbing things—especially a potential meal. The trunk alone contains about 100,000 different muscles. African elephants have two finger like features on the end of their trunk that they can use to grab small items. (Asian elephants have one.) Elephants spend about 16 hours a day eating alone! They consume as much as 495 pounds of food per day! Fact #4 Life Span - elephants can live for up to 70 years! Fact #5 They live in tight social units led by an older matriarch and males leave the herd between the age of 12 and 15. Fact #6 Elephants normally walk about 4 mph and are able to swim for long distances! Fact #7 Their tusks are made of ivory and are actually enormously enlarged incisors. Fact #8 They have the largest brains in the animal kingdom! Fact #9 Walking at a normal pace an elephant covers about 2 to 4 miles an hour (3 to 6 km/h) but they can reach 24 miles an hour (40 km/h) at full speed. Fact #10 An elephant's skin is extremely tough around most parts of its body and measures about 2.5 cm (1 in) thick. --
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