"I do not have a backbone, therefore I am an invertebrate and am NOT a fish!"
Sea stars are echinoderms (spiny skin). Other echinoderms include sea cucumbers, sand dollars, and brittle stars.
 |
| Sea stars ready for dissection. |
Sea stars have no heads and no circulatory system. They have eye spots on the tips of each of their arms. Sea stars live in temperate and topical waters, not fresh water. Some are bottom dwellers, while many live mostly in shallow marine environments. Sea stars come in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes and can live for 30 years. They can regenerate their arms if they lose one.
 |
| Our sea star has radial symmetry. |
They eat scraps of food, algae mats, or even deceased organisms. Others are active predators that will attack clams, snails, sponges, and corals. Their stomach comes out of their body to eat and then the stomach retracts.
 |
| Notice the mouth at the center? |
To dissect them, the girls first sliced it completely in half with scissors. They observed the sieve plate, tube feet, stomach, and mouth.
 |
| Notice the half of a leg on the plate! |
 |
| Using tools to slice it in half. |
 |
| Teamwork! |
No comments:
Post a Comment