The starfish, or "sea star," is a sea creature that is well-known for its whimsical shape and harmless nature. At the aquarium, the starfish section is popular among children because they love to touch and hold its prickly body. But did you know that the starfish is not actually a fish? In this issue, we will take a closer look at the amazing truth about the starfish.
Scientifically, "fish" means under water, vertebrate creature with gills and fins. However, the starfish possesses none of these characteristics and should be called "sea star" to avoid confusion. There are 2,000 living species of sea stars in all the world's oceans, including the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Sea stars come in different colors, shapes and sizes. Furthermore, its surface can be either smooth or spiny. The body of a sea star has 5-point radial symmetry, which means that the number of its arms is an exact multiples of 5 such as 5, 10, 15 and 20 arms. One of the sea star's amazing tricks is its ability to re-grow an arm. Thus, when it is chased by a predator, it can shake off one arm to distract the predator while it escapes. If a portion of that arm is large enough, it can even grow into a whole new sea star.
Although it is not related to fish, the sea star is actually closely related to other underwater creatures, such as the sea urchin. Interestingly enough, the sea star is not the only misunderstood sea creature, as there are other underwater creatures, such as squids and whales, which are commonly mistaken for a type of fish. So, it is up to us to learn about these creatures and call them by their correct names, so that people in future generations will not make the same mistake regarding these mysterious and lovely sea creatures