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What is starfish skin made of?
Depending on the species, a sea star’s skin may feel leathery, or slightly prickly. This tough covering on their upper side is made up of plates of calcium carbonate with tiny spines on their surface.
What is the outside of a starfish called?
Most starfish have five arms, called rays that come out from a center circle (disk). If a starfish has more than five rays, it will often have rays in multiples of five; there could be 10, 15, 20, or even 30 rays on one starfish.
What protects a starfish?
Defensive Adaptations 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.
What are the sticky things on a starfish called?
Tube feet (technically podia) are small active tubular projections on the oral face of an echinoderm, whether the arms of a starfish, or the undersides of sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers; they are more discreet though present on brittlestars, and have only a feeding function in feather stars.
What is the anatomy of a starfish?
Starfish are composed of a central disc from which arms sprout in pentaradial symmetry. Most starfish have 5 arms, but some have more or fewer. Some starfish have shown differing numbers of limbs within a single species. The mouth is located underneath the starfish, on its ventral surface.
What is the upper surface of the starfish called?
The spiny upper surface covering the species is called the aboral or dorsal surface. On the aboral surface there is a structure called the madreporite, which acts as a water filter and supplies the sea star’s water vascular system with water to move.
Do starfish have defense?
Some starfish species have chemical based defenses such as slime (see below), others have bad tasting or toxic chemicals in their body wall, while others have physical deterrents such as spines or armor. …
What are the suction cups on a starfish called?
“Their body consists of a central disc with arms that radiate out, and on the underside, there are hundreds to thousands of small suction cups called ‘tube feet’ that help the sea star move around, stick to different surfaces and eat.”