S for starfish

Starfish are echinoderms and are related to sea urchins, brittle stars and sea lilies.

Fact:

The Crown-of-thorns starfish eats coral, and does a lot of damage to coral reefs. When people first tried to control them, they would catch them, cut them in half and then throw them back into the sea.

What do you think happened then?

The numbers of starfish doubled and tripled!

Some starfish, like the Crown-of-thorns, have the ability to regenerate. If you cut a starfish like this in half, two starfish will grow in its place.

Important: Starfish are animals, and they should be treated with respect. If you find a starfish at the seaside, please leave it where you found it!