10 facts about starfish

1. The majority of species of starfish have five arms, though some have more. The Antarctic starfish known as Labidiaster annulatus sometimes has as many as 50 arms.
2. Science estimates there are between 1,800 and 2,000 different species of starfish in the world.
3. Starfish can regenerate a limb. That's right! If a starfish loses one of its arms, it has the natural healing ability for that arm to grow back.
4. There is not a major body of salt water in the world that does not contain starfish. These sea creatures are found in the hottest and coldest climes, in all oceans and seas.
5. Starfish are carnivores. Tiny tubes in the animal's arms are used to pry open oysters and clams and other generally stationary creatures like mussels. The mouth of a starfish is found beneath and in the center of the animal.
6. Starfish often have bright colors. This is a natural defense mechanism to warn off other animals, or to act as camouflage in some circumstances.
7. Starfish also have a bonelike, calcified exoskeleton, basically a hardened skin, that protects them from predators.
8. These marine animals are not to be found in fresh water.
9. Starfish do not have a brain. Instead, they have a central ring of nerves that branches out into their arms.
10. Larger starfish tend to live longer, especially in the wild. The longevity of starfish varies greatly depending upon the species. Some starfish will live a couple of decades while others can live as long as 50 years. There have even been rumors, though no scientific evidence as of yet, of some starfish living a century or longer.