Underwater world is full of diversity. Separate attention among others occupy animals living on the bottom - starfish. They can be different shapes and colors. To tell about the most interesting species We have created a selection that includes 10 most amazing marine stars.
Sea stars, from the moment of their detection, admired humanity. This is also confirmed by their high importance in some cultures and tribes. Perhaps the most common way of starfish in art is Patrick from a cartoon about a sponge named Bob, so the graves of the comb, many consider solely pink color and are ideally proportional. Of course, wildlife It is much more diverse, it offers other shades, and forms.
Among the most beautiful starfish in the world You will notice even those who would never have been attached to a similar look. In our country, they are big rarity, because they prefer to dwell in warm edgesTherefore, interest in exotic creatures is only increasing.
1. Royal Starfish (Astropecen Articulatus)
The habitat of this species is east Coast North Americawhere they can be found on the beaches without any problems. Previously, they lived only at a depth of about thirty meters, but now they rise higher to find food and avoid predators. Dark shades are dominated in the main part of the body, but the rays are most often red, orange or white. They are customary to call "obhorables", the researchers have repeatedly noticed the swollen ball in the very center of the creature, which was crowded with a stomach. Absorbing the entire caught plankton is entirely, it is most often not able to digest it completely, so the remnants will be over.
2.
It is false to believe that one of the most unusual starfish on the planet has an exceptionally square shape. A similar form is noticed only in one individual out of ten, but even healthy creatures differ significantly from their relatives. First, their rays are not separated from each other, that is, it looks like a pentagon rather than on the star. Secondly, their extraordinary thickness and form are rather reminiscent of freshly baked cookies or the pencils for the chair, for which a similar name was obtained. The fact is that in english language Biscuit - Means Cookies, but domestic translators suggested that the "Gingerbread Star" somehow does not sound.
3.
Before you is not only one of the most beautiful, but also the only poisonous starfish. In addition to its danger to a person, it makes significant damage to coral reefs, because they are her favorite food. Voraciousness allows this predator to destroy two square meters of polyps in just one day, enveloping each of them with their body, and then dissolving with poison. The number of rays is usually multiple of five and hesitate around 10-25, depending on age, blue, green and purple dominate among the shades. In no case do not take it with bare hands - the needles instantly injected the poison, which, in the absence of timely assistance, will cause serious impairment of work nervous system.
4.
When planning to go on vacation in Egypt or Israel, be sure to pay attention to one of the most beautiful starfish on the planet. She is elegant, has an ideal five-pointed form and an unusual color. Even for inexperienced divers to meet with her will not be problems: the individuals are found at a depth of five meters. The most common shades of red and orange, immersed deeper can be seen completely white or brown individuals. For a person, she is absolutely safe, so do not hesitate to touch her hands.
5.
This creature was obtained by the ideal combination of two pentagons. The inner looks like a biscuit star, even has almost identical sizes, and external with rays and gives marine star Traditional shape. It does not have a clear range or the depth of habitat, but the chance to discover it in Indian Ocean extremely high. The colors are dominated by the shades of beige and grayAnd each beam is fragmented on small squares with residents.
6.
At first glance it looks quite usually, but looking at it, you can evaluate all the variety of color schemes. The very body itself, but the plots in front of spikes create a significant contrast, and the process itself differ radically. Usually a horned star of chocolate color, but you can also meet white and orange individuals. Due to the tiny sizes and a solid skeleton, they are quite difficult to eat on their own, because the potential victim can just swim in the gorge where the star does not get away. This is exactly the main cause of the frequent death of representatives of this species in artificial conditions, as well as their love for the destruction of small invertebrate animals responsible for the purity of the aquarium ecosystem.
7.
The most beautiful starfish of the world is sometimes very different from their relatives. This species Noteworthy in that it can be found in cold waters in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Externally, the Crossaster resembles the octopus, the sphere, which is the torso, most often bright red, but rays, the number of which ranges from 8 to 11, purely white. It is a record holder at the speed of movement of his family, young individuals can overcome the meter in a couple of seconds. Yes, and the diet is very unusual: most often it is a small fish, even cases of attack on victims, significantly superior crossaster in size were noticed.
8.
Another representative of our Motherland, the habitat area is limited to the Bay of Peter the Great in the Japanese Sea, where at a depth of about thirty meters it can be found everywhere. The rays are perfectly straight and extremely mobile, usually reaching as many twenty centimeters in length, and their tips are bright orange, which contrasts with a highly tint. All the torso is covered with needles that perform two important tasks at once: protection against predators and disguise, because at a similar depth of a distolator is quite difficult to distinguish from stones and algae.
9.
The inhabitant of water South-East Asia It will affect you with the number of shades present in the color. The center is a bright spot, red or purple, rays are covered with tubercles, the color of which is different and extremely rarely coincides with one of the shades present on the froms. However, the aquarists who want to acquire such beauty will have to sweat: it absolutely does not react to artificial food, so it will have to spend about a year to create habitat conditions close to natural, otherwise the life expectancy of frome will be less than a year. True enthusiasts are confident that such a demonstration of a miracle of nature is worth their efforts.
Starfish - animals with unusual form The bodies, thanks to which they talked attention to people still in ancient times. Sea stars belong to the type of iglozzy, in which they are highlighted in a separate class, which has almost 1600 species. The nearest relatives of these invertebrates are very similar to them, or snakes, and more far aschoturia and sea hedgehogs.
Sea star FROMIA elegant (fromia monilis).
the main distinctive trait Sea stars is, of course, body shape. In general, the body of marine stars can be divided into central part - disk, and side grows that are called rays or hands. This animal is characterized by radial symmetry, so their body is divided into symmetric sectors, the number of which is usually equal to five. However, among marine stars have organisms with large number Symmetry axes: Some species have their number to reach 6-12 and even 45-50.
Nine Star Star Salast Endeca.
Each sector, respectively, includes a part of the central disk and hand. It would seem that such a one-type structure should be poured out in the monotony of these living organisms. But just a shape of the body from marine stars is very volatile. Firstly, the relative length and thickness of the rays will vary greatly: in some species, they are elongated and thin, others have a triangular shape, sharply narrowing towards an end, third rays are so short that they practically do not protrude beyond the edges of the central disk. Stars of the last type have a very high central disk, so they resemble pillows. Thus, most of the types of marine stars are the length of the rays, the diameter of the central disk is 3-5 times, in the longest 20-30 times, and the pillows tend to zero.
This bright ottoman on sea Dn. In fact, the starfish of Kulzit Novoguinskaya (Sulcita NovaEguineae).
Secondly, starfish is distinguished by the texture of the surface and the color. Here, a variety is simply not amenable to descriptions - smooth, spikey, spiny, rough, velvety, mosaic; Monochrome and pattern, bright and faded. The color gamut of these animals includes almost all colors, but most often there are various shades of red, less often blue, brown, pink, purple, yellow, black colors. Pale starfishes usually live at depth, and shallow species are bright.
This is the same Novoguinee Koltification, but another coloring.
At first glance, starfishes seem primitive, because they do not have any noticeable senses, brain, weakly differentiated internal organsBut this simplicity is deceptive.
LINCKIA LINCKIA LAEVIGATA star (Linckia Laevigata), her rays look like sausages.
First of all, it should be noted that marine stars have an inner skeleton. They do not have a spine and separate bones, but there are many limestone plates connected to each other in the openwork system.
Openwork plexus of skeletal elements on the surface of the sea star.
A young sea star skeletal elements are hidden under skin CoversBut over time, the skin over some lime spikes is erased and they become visible outside. It is these spikes that give the sea stars a prickly look.
The spikes on the surface of the sea star are covered with skin, but some of them have already been exposed and has a brilliant surface.
In addition, on the upper side of the body, many species can see lime plates, merged together or forming a network.
The bizarre pattern formed by the skin and skeletal elements of the starfish.
Finally, the third element affecting appearance Sea Star is a Pedicellery. Pedicellers are modified needles similar to tiny tweezers. In the life of the starfish they play important roleWith their help, it cleans the upper side of the body from garbage and sand. All skeletal elements are interconnected by the muscles, so after the death of the starfish, its core is crumbling on lime records and there is no trace from the animal.
Akantster starfish, or a crown (Acanthaster Ellisii) has spiny and poisonous spikes.
The muscular system of marine stars is developed relatively weak. Each ray has a muscular litigation that can bend the beam up, this, actually, muscle movements of stars and are limited. But not limited to mobility at all. Sea stars can crawl, dig, bending, swim, but they do it not with the help of muscles.
Sea stars Screwdrivers (Patiria Pectinifera) scrambled along algae.
These animals have sPECIAL SYSTEM The body is ambulacral. In fact, this system is a channels and cavities connected together and filled with liquid. The starfish can pump this liquid from one part of the system to another, due to which its parts of the body bend and move. The central detail of this system is the ambulatal legs - tiny blind growing outlacral channels on the underside of the starfish. Each leg is moving independently of others, but their actions are always consistent. With the help of these microscopic elements, the starfish is able to work wonders. For example, it is capable of climbing the vertical surface, it can stick to the glass of the aquarium for a long time, it can get up on the rash, extinguishing like a frightened cat, and maybe grabbing two rays, push the sash of the mollusk sink. And all this makes the animal practically deprived of the brain and eyes!
On the underside of the beam are visible translucent ambulatal legs.
For the sake of fairness it is worth noting that some senses of the marine stars are still there. These are eyes located at the ends of each beam. Eyes are very primitive and distinguished only light and darkness, seaside items do not see items. Starfishes can catch chemical substances (Analogue of Nyuha), only they feel them in different ways. Some species are very sensitive and can change the lures on the smell for several days, others can spit past the victims in a pair of centimeters and do not teach it. Very developed by marine stars, touching, they try to get rid of sand, which falls asleep on top, and also always strive to feel their way with the help of small tental at the end of each beam. The touch suggests the marine star with whom she collided - victim or predator. The brain of the starfish replaces the group weakly interconnected cells. Surprisingly, despite such a primitive structure of the nervous system, starfish can produce elementary conditional reflexes. For example, individuals who were often caught with networks, began to get out of them faster than those who were caught for the first time.
At the end of the beam of the starfish asterodiscus (Asterodiscus Truncatus) is visible from the eye. The beam itself is covered with embossed limestone plates.
Another strong, in the literal and figurative sense of the word, the system of marine stars is digestive. The mouth of these animals is located in the center of the disk on the bottom side of the body, and the tiny anus - on the back. By the way, they are rarely used by the starfish (some species will overgrow it), preferring to remove undigested food residues through the mouth. The stomach of these invertebrates has grown extending in the rays, the reserves of nutrients in case of hunger are postponed. And starving starfishes regularly, as it stops to eat during breeding. The stomach in many species can be turned out through the oral hole, and it is stretched as rubber, taking any form. Thanks to the tensile stomach, the starfish can digest production exceeding it in size. The case is known when Luidi's starfish swallowed so much sea hedgehog that he died, failing to spit his remnants.
In the middle of the central disk of frome monilis, a tiny anal hole is visible.
Other organism systems are developed at sea stars weakly. They breathe through special skin grows on the top, washed by sea currents, body side. The gills and lungs do not have, so the starfish is sensitive to the lack of oxygen. They also do not endure the desalination of water, so they are found only in the seas and oceans. The dimensions of these animals range from 1-1.5 cm at a miniature ball of the peciferator to 80-90 cm at the marine star of Freylli.
The name of this starfish speaks for itself - elegant ferrom (fromia elegans).
Sea stars have global distribution. They meet everywhere in all seas and oceans from the tropics to the poles. Of course, in warm waters species diversity higher than in cold. Most species prefer to live in shallow water, some even find themselves on the shore during the sings. But among these animals there are deep-water species, including those who live in depths of over 9 km!
Sea stars in shallow water.
Sea stars most Time is crawling along the bottom. They do it very slowly, the usual specimens of medium sized individuals - 10 cm per minute, but the starfish can and "hurry" at a speed of 25-30 cm per minute. If necessary, these animals are climbing the stones, corals, algae. If the starfish falls on the back, then she immediately turns over the abdominal side down. For this purpose, the animal bends two beams so that the ambulatal legs on the bottom touch the ground, and then the starfish turns the body and takes the usual position. Some species are capable of even clumsy floating for short distances. Sea stars can be called saddled animals, their launches showed that they are not deleted by more than 500 m from the site of the initial catch.
Marine Star Granular Granulatus (Coriaster Granulatus) looks like a bun.
Despite the external primitiveness and apparent helplessness starfishes terrible predators. They are quite voracious and never refuse mining, with the exception of the caviar tooling period. Only deep-water species feed on the shelter, from which they remove the dietary particles, conditionally "unsubstantial" can be called the naval stars of the chest, which prefer to emblorict fouling on corals. All other species are actively hunted on other animals.
Not at all romantic relationships tied this pair: Solaster Dawsoni Star Star (Solaster Dawsoni) eats a barbed hippasteria (Hippasteria spinosa).
Most sea stars are unschrenadable, they eat all that they are able to keep them with their own hands and how to get their "rubber" stomach, not Brozdy and Padal. Some species can be powered only by a certain kind of feed: sponges, corals, brickeloous mollusks.
Pentagonaster Pretagonaster's starfish (Pentagonaster Pulchellus), which is also called a biscuit marine star for the body shape resembling cookies.
The favorite extraction of nautical stars are the same as they themselves are laid animals - sea hedgehogs and bivalve mollusks. Sea hedgehog star overtakes a crawl and eats his mouth. Bivalve mollusks They have sinks whose sash is tightly closed in case of danger, therefore, starfishes are different with them. First, the starfish is glued with two rays to the sinks of the shell, and then begins to push them. It must be said that the ambulapral legs are firmly glued to the substrate due to the adhesive lubricant and one single outlacral leg can develop an effort to 30 g! And on each ray of sea star, there are hundreds of them, so it, like a seasoning power, spreads sinks with a magnitude of a few kilograms. However, it is not necessary to push the sash to the sink of the shell in full swing, for a satisfying dinner it is enough to crack 0.1 mm! In this truly microscopic gap, the starfish turns its stomach (it can stretch 10 cm) and digested the mollusk in his own home.
Asterias Rubens Star (Asterias Rubens) pulls her hand to mollusk.
Most seaside stars separately, very few species have both men's and female sex glands. Sex glands are located in pairs at the base of each beam. The sea star Asterina has young individuals at first male, and then change it to female. A special exception is the starfish of an officer, who has no males at all! The females of this species are laying off caviar without fertilization, such a reproduction is called parthenogenesis. During the mating, males and females join their rays and swell cum and eggs into the water. The number of eggs depends on the type of development of the larvae and fluctuates from 200 in those species that enter offspring, and up to 200 million in species with free-laying larvae.
Pairing of marine stars.
Marine larvae are three types. At some kinds of eggs, a free-laying larva hatching, which feeds microscopic algae, and then attached to the bottom and gradually turns into a small star. The other free-peeling larva has large yolk stocks, so it does not eat and immediately turns into adult shape. Nautical stars living in cold waters, the larvae are not separated at all from the body of the mother, and they accumulate near her oral hole or even in special gastric pockets. A caring female during this period is based on the tips of the rays, and the body is wound up with a dome under which the offspring is. Since the larvae is located next to the mouth of the hole, the female during this period does not eat. The larval form is the most mobile in the life cycle of marine stars, it is during this period that young people can be distributed by trends to very long distances.
The larva of the starfish has a bilateral symmetry.
In addition to sexual reproduction, starfishes can multiply and useless. Most often this happens in multipath species, the body of the animal is divided into two halves, each of which increases the missing rays. Other species dust reproduction It may be the result of regeneration during traumatic body damage. If the seaside star is artificially divided into several parts, then from each formed new organism. For restoration, even one beam is quite enough, but it is necessarily necessary a piece of the central disk. Sea stars grow slowly, so in long months they look at one-sided.
A new part is formed from the cut ray of the starfish. This form is often called comet.
In the natural environment, marine stars are very few enemies, since sharp spikes that can be poisonous, scare away large predators. In addition, these invertebrates are trying to break into the sand in case, so as not to attract attention. Most often, starfishes fall on tooth kalanes and seagulls.
The seagull caught a starfisher.
But the starfish of AstroCten is friends with multi-minded worms. On one individual they can find up to five roommates who prefer to stay on the bottom side of the body closer to the mouth of the star. Worms pick up the remnants of her prey and even shove their heads in her stomach! On the starfish, Echinaster lives in comb special viewwhich purify the surface of the star from the drawing.
These bright stains on the starfish Luzonicus (Echinaster Luzonicus) - Grebneviki (Coeloplana Astericola).
People from a long time drew attention to colorful animals of shallow water, but the starfish did not imagine any economic interest for them. Only in China are sometimes eating them, while at the same time, attempts to feed the marine stars with pets can lead to the death of the latter. It is likely that it is associated with toxins that accumulate some types of corals and poisonous mollusks. But with the development of the maritime, people began to rank these animals to their enemies. It turned out that starfishes often pulled the bait in the bottom traps for crabs, and also make raids on plantations for the dilution of oysters and sea scallops. For several years (it is so much to grow oysters) the starfishes can destroy the entire oyster jar. At one time of the predators tried to destroy, binding into pieces, but it only increased their number, because from each heel grew a new starfish. Then marine stars have learned to extract special trawls, and kill boiling water.
Very spectacular mosaic starfish (Iconaster Longimanus).
Most. malicious pest It was the starfish of Akantster, or a crown crown. This is a very large kettlebee feeds exclusively by corals, after the thorns of the crown leaves only a white lifeless path on a coral reef. At one time, these stars have multiplied so much that in the literal sense the word ate a huge plot of a large barrier reef off the coast of Australia. A unique geological formation was under threat of destruction. The struggle against the ternan crown complicated that its spikes of poisonous for a person, the injection crown hurts burning pain, although not fatal. Specially trained divers were collected by sharp peaks of the Akntasters in bags or was injected into the body of the sea star deadly dose of formalin. Only in this way it was possible to pacify the invasion of voracious predators and save reef. Now all types of marine stars are in a prosperous state and do not need protection.
The crown eats the coral.
Starfishes - one of the most mysterious creatures underwater world. These are invertebrate animals belonging to the type of oskulkin. Why "iglojrine"? And the whole thing is that these creatures have very hard skin, and with the outer side it is also covered with spikes or needles that are calcium carbonate plates.
Sea stars appeared on the planet for a long time, more than 250 million years ago. Brightly colored star-shaped (up to 50 rays) or pentagonal body has a length from one centimeter to one meter. In total, there are about 1.5 thousand types of marine stars, they live at depths of up to 10 kilometers. Life cycle These creatures last about 35 years. You can find them in all the oceans of our planet, however, they prefer more coral reefs, coastal areas And warm shallow water. IN fresh waters They are not found. For the most part, these creatures grow up to 20 cm, however, there were such individuals whose length reached 3 meters.
It turns out that starfishes can walk. If you look at their lower part, you can see thousands of foot tubes, which in turn also have suckers, with which the stars are moving. Also limbs are used for breathing and catching food.
These creatures may not tighten food during nutrition, because their stomach can be inside out and penetrate into animal shells, which the star wants to eat. After this process, only a liquid solution remains from soft tissues, which then they can simply pull into themselves. Sea stars are worms, crustaceans, mollusks and marine hedgehogs. Delicates on their "dining table" are oysters and mussels.
There are only three types of these unique beings: ordinary stars, feathers (up to 50 managing rays) and fragile asterisks (discarded their rays in case of danger). Fragile stars like chameleons are capable of growing their rays. As already mentioned, the body of the stars consists of almost 80% of calcium carbonate. Accordingly, each ray is viable and extremely quickly regenerates. Often, these marine creatures are also multiplied by the division of pressure. Fabrics in places where the star will be disconnected, first become very soft, and after decaying. Subsequently, all the "disconnected" parts grow in both individuals. 
But most amazing in these marine beingsoh, what they can change their gender if necessary. Of course, certain conditions must be met for this: the presence of food, temperature and others. When all the conditions become favorable for breeding, many males change sexuality And begin to lay eggs. 
Sea stars do not have blood system. It was very successfully replaced by the water-vascular system. It acts very interesting: this maritime creature pumped itself with water through the surface of its skin, and the legs sucking spread it throughout the Taurus. Water is excreted in the same way - leather. With all this, the stars have a heart, which makes 6-7 shots per minute. But there is no brain from these creatures.
It turns out that starfish have eyes and not a couple, like us, people. Each individual has as much eye as the rays. At the tip of each beam there is an eye, by sight as a red spot. They see, of course, not very good, but at least distinguish the darkness and light. 
It is usually believed that starfishes do not harm man, but careless "communication" with one of the species of these maritime creatures in most cases leads to deplorable consequences. In the corals of Indian and Pacific Ocean A major star called Akantster or a thorns crown. 
It belongs to the genus Akantasteride and reaches in diameter up to 50 cm. This type of sea star brings a burning pain to a person from eyebrees during a touch. If the needle is stuck in the skin, it is closed from the body of the star and begins to infect the blood of a person to poisonous discharge.
In the past few years, starfish has become actively multiplied. Because of their excessive appetite, each individual consumes about 6 square meters Corals per year. Scientists assume that such a growth rate of the number is caused by a person through provoked changes to water ecosystemassociated with increased pollution. As a result, programs were carried out to destroy several sections of marine stars with the active use of toxins. 
It should be noted that starfishes still bring much more useful than harmful. In fact, they play a huge role in the ecology of the planet, and in particular the World Ocean. The starfish reels hardly utilizes one of the "enemies" of the ecosystem - carbon dioxide, which every year more and more fills our atmosphere. Every year, starfish in aggregate destroys about 2% of the carbon diquses of the Earth, and this is extremely big number As part of the whole planet. Another useful role of marine stars is to clean the seabed from fell, weak and sick beings of the seabed, as well as from the remains of the dead oceanic organisms. 
Sea stars are the most beautiful creatures not only the ocean, but also the entire planet as a whole. They appeared long ago and still not fully studied by scientists. Divers who make dive in various warm seasIt is often possible to admire the seabed as stars, as well as to convey these beauty through the pictures to us. 
Mysterious animal - starfish. Firstly star. Where else to find such a natural configuration. Secondly, for some reason I was originally thought that it is some kind of algae or coral. Look at the variety and beauty of these stars! However, look on the video about how they eat 🙂
(Total 28 photos)
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1. Starfish - veterans of the seabed, they appeared more than 450 million years ago, ahead of many forms of modern inhabitants of underwater depths.
2. They relate to the class of iglozzy, being relatives sea cucumber, questions, sea lilies, holoturns, marine Ejam- Currently there are about 1600 species having a star-shaped or pentagonal form.
4. The starfish, despite its farewellity and the absence of the head as such, the nervous and digestive systems are well developed. And why, in fact, "igloblery"? It's all about the rigid skin of the starfish - with the outside it is covered with short needles or spikes. Conditionally of these bizarre creatures can be divided into three groups: ordinary starfish; The first stars called for the phoning rays (up to 50!), and the "fragile" stars throwing their rays in case of danger.
5. True, for this animal will not be difficult to repel the newest, and from each ray will soon appear new stars. How is it possible? - thanks characteristic features Star structures - Each of its rays is arranged the same, and contains: two digestive gastric outgrowths that perform the function of the liver Red eye stain on the tip of the beam, protected by a ring from the needles Radial beams of nerve sense of smell (they are suckers and a way of movement) The abdominal side of Papula - Skin gills in the form of thin short veins located on the back and producing gas exchanges of genital processes (usually two gonads on each beam) skeleton consisting of a longitudinal range of vertebrae inside, and hundreds of lime plates with spikes covering the skin and connected muscles, which not only protects the animal from damage, but also makes her rays very flexible. The bodies of starfish by 80% consist of calcium carbonate.
6. Thus, every ray of the starfish, being separated from her body, is quite viable and quickly regenerates. Well, connected together, closed systems are formed in the center of animal: digestive system goes into the stomach of two departments and opens a disk in the form of a button, which performs the function of the mouth; Bunches of nerves are combined into the nervous ring. Home System The starfish, which we intentionally left "for dessert" - ambulacral. So called the water-vascular system, servingly serving simultaneously for breathing, highlighting, touching and movement, with muscles providing music function. Channels are deployed from the near ring in each ray, from them, in turn, side branches to the hundreds of cylindrical tubes on the body surface - the ambulatal legs containing special ampoules and the completed suction cups. The hole on the back, called the Mandreopor plate, serves to connect this system with an external water medium.
7. So how does the ambulatary system work? - It is filled with water under a slight pressure, which, falling through the Mandreoporovaya record in the near-channel channel, is divided into five channels of the rays and fills the ampoules at the base of the legs. Their compression, in turn, fills the legs with water and stretches them. At the same time, the suction cups of the legs are attached to various subjects of the seabed, and then decrease sharply, the ambulatal legs are shortened, and thus the animal body moves smooth jerks.
8. Starfish are voracious predators, although there are exceptions in the form of herbivorous species that feed on algae and plankton. In general, the loved delicacies of these animals will be heard of mollusks, mussels, oysters, scallops, lyonic, sea packer, rhyme-forming corals and different invertebrates. Mining a star finds the smell. Finding the mollusk, it is embarrassed by two rays to one sash of the shell, three remaining - to another sash, - and the nominal struggle begins that the starfish always wins. When the mollusk gets tired, and its housing becomes jellis, the predator swings them and literally throws his stomach to the victim, turning it out! By the way, digesting food so and occurs outside the animal body. Some starfish are even capable of digging preching hiding in the sand.
9. With regard to breeding, most of its starfish are divided into males and females. Fertilization occurs in water, after which free-pointed larvae is formed, called bracholaria. Unlike adult individuals, their structure is subordinate to the laws of symmetry, and includes a painted cord needed to collect food particles (exclusively single-cellular plankton algae.), stomach, esophagus and rear. Usually the larvae float near adult individual The starfish of the same kind - and after a few weeks, under the action of her pheromones, metamorphosis passes with them: fixing at the bottom, they turn into tiny (0.5 mm in diameter), but already five-star starfish. And these kids will be able to give offspring only in two or three years. If the larvae perform the function of the settlement of species, and drift over long distances, they are able to delay their conversion in adult individuals and do not settle for a few months - at the same time they can grow to nine cm long. There are among the starfish and hermaphrodites - they are keen on their young in a special output bag or cavities on the back.
10. Taking into account the greatest number of starfish, it is clear that they affect the growth of populations of species that hunt. Nobody risks on them, because in their bodies contained extremely toxic substances - Asterosaponins. Being almost invulnerable, starfish are at the top of the marine food pyramid, and therefore the duration of their life can reach 30 years. If you believe scientists, then these brightly colored legendary inhabitants of the seas also contribute a significant contribution to the process of disposal of carbon dioxide produced including both industrial objects of the planet - their share is about 2% CO2, that is, more than 0.1 carbon gigaton per year That for such, it would seem, small creatures, you see, not at all weak!
And what do you know about starfish? Beautiful I. unusual creatures, with many interesting facts From their lives - about two thousand species of starfish are currently known in our selection.
Nautical stars have no brain and blood - to produce nutrients, oxygen and other important liquids, the starfish pumps through its body sea water. It is the resulting water that is distributed through the body and forms a "water-vascular system".
On each hand of a starfish, mistakenly taken for the tentacles, there are about 15 thousand tiny suckers, thanks to which the starfish moves. 
The starfish is not a fish, but an invertebrate animal.
Sea stars are real predators. They are able to attack themselves like and can easily enjoy a small offspring of their varieties, i.e. are cannibals.
The stars have two stomach, one of which they can even push out to digest mollusks. 
Starfish - long-livers, some species live up to 30-35 years. 
Many of the marine stars are very dangerous. For example, the sea star of the throat crown, common in the Indo-Pacific-Ocean, is covered with poisonous spine. Growing almost half meters long, these creatures become dangerous not only for coral reefs, but also for divers and swimmers. 
Sea stars are able to easily change the floor, after which it is possible to switch back. True for such "transformations" needs several suitable conditions for water quality, temperature and food availability. 
Sea stars have eyes - exactly as many as the rays, the eye is located on the conchor, look like a red spot. They see, of course, not very good, but at least distinguish the darkness and light. 
Despite the fact that starfish live under water, they have no gills. 
Although the type of majority of marine stars corresponds to their name, sometimes there are unusual individuals of the bizarre form. For example, starfishes may have a sun shape, numerous rays or their form can be rounded. 
The heart of starfish beats with a frequency of 5-7 blows per minute.
The largest starfishes can reach 1 meter in diameter, and their weight can reach 5 kilograms. Solar stars More active than their kinds, and are able to rapidly pursue their prey, and, having an incredible force, simply tear the shell of mollusks and crustaceans. 
Feeding method allowing the starfire to eat prey, much more than the oral hole is as follows - as the mouth of the starfish is on the bottom side of her body, the star, grasping the prey wraps his strong hands around her, and then a strong jolts puts under him, and then Then pushes into the stomach. 
It is also one of the most ancient residents of the Earth. Starfish About 250 million years.
Stars are moving with hundreds of pipes, which are attached to the surface, and then wave moving. 
Sea stars live in a wide variety depths, up to ten kilometers 
In the past few years, starfish has become actively multiplied. This creates a problem, because each individual has an excessive appetite and consumes about 6 square meters of corals per year. In some areas, measures are used to destroy stars. 
However, starfishes nevertheless bring much more useful than harmful - this is important consumers of carbon dioxide - annually starfish in aggregate destroys about 2% of the carbon diquses of the Earth, and this is an extremely large figure as part of a whole planet. 
Another useful role of marine stars is to clean the seabed from fell, weak and sick beings of the seabed, as well as from the remains of the dead oceanic organisms. 
Sea stars pass five stages of growth before becoming adults - during the first month, the stars swim freely and look like jellyfish, they are small, almost imperceptible to the eye and tiny plants and animals of the ocean.
Although most naval stars are not poisonous, a major star called Akantster or a crown is dangerous for a person. The injections of her needles bring a burning pain to a person - if the needle is stuck in the skin, then it is clogged from the body of the star and begins to infect the blood of a person to poisonous secretions.
An interesting fact - if you cut off one of the hands of the starfish or immediately everything, without damaging the central part of the body, then they will gradually grow again.
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