Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Sea Star - Star of the Sea


Starfish - captured on the beach in Florida


are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "starfish" and "sea star" essentially refer to members of the Class Asteroidea. However, common usage frequently finds "starfish" and "sea star" also applied to ophiuroids which are correctly referred to as "brittle stars" or "basket stars".

There are over 1800 species of living species of starfish that occur in all the world's oceans, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian as well as in the Arctic and the Southern Ocean (i.e., Antarctic) regions. Starfish occur across a broad depth range from the intertidal to abyssal depths (>6000 m).

Starfish are among the most familiar of marine animals and possess a number of widely known traits,such as regeneration and feeding on mussels. Starfish possess a wide diversity of body forms and feeding methods. The extent that Asteroidea can regenerate varies with individual species. Broadly speaking, starfish are opportunistic feeders, with several species having specialized feeding behavior, including suspension feeding and specialized predation on specific prey.

The Asteroidea occupy several important roles throughout ecology and biology. Sea stars, such as the Ochre star (Pisaster ochraceus) have become widely known as the example of the keystone species concept in ecology. The tropical Crown of Thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) are voracious predators of coral throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Other starfish, such as members of the Asterinidae are frequently used in developmental biology.


Hi my friends,
thank you again for your numerous visits to my "Hammock Feelings" photo. I'm glad you liked it that much - I very much appreciate all the comments.

See you soon, talk to you later...and come back visiting.

Susanne



Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

8 comments:

Yvi said...

That`s a lovely photo...

Greetings
Yvi

S-V-H said...

Thanks Yvi :)

Carole said...

loads of textures Susanne in this

S-V-H said...

Thank you, Carol!

nothingprofound said...

Starfish and sea-horses have always seemed to me the most mythical of real-life creatures.

S-V-H said...

Yes, Marty,

Those animals are very special and often used in Mythology stories and books. They have something magical, also for me :)
Thank you for stopping by.

The Retired One said...

love love love that photo...such an epitomy of what the ocean is....

S-V-H said...

Thank you so much, Joan! :)

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