Fantastic Starfish
Pankaj Singh
| 28-05-2024
· Animal Team
Have you ever noticed the creatures around you while you were walking on the beach, such as a crab, a bird, or a starfish
If not, then after reading this article, you'll start to notice.
Not only does a starfish have a slightly fancy-sounding name, but it is also a very mysterious creature. Few animals are smart enough to use water to their advantage like starfish.
Starfish move by way of their tubular feet, of which there are thousands on their lower surface. As water enters the tubes inside the starfish, it eventually reaches these feet. They then move from one place to another through a series of contractions and relaxations.
Starfish, also called "sea star" is probably more appropriate because starfish are nothing like actual fish. It does not have a streamlined shape, nor does it have any fins for swimming. Scientifically speaking, the starfish is an echinoderm.
The word "echinoderm" comes from the Greek word "hedgehog skin". This is a whole species of animals, and some other well-known animals, such as octopuses, also belong to this category.
Starfish are free-living marine animals, usually living on sandy or muddy seabeds and crawling on rocks and shells. These creatures can be found everywhere, from tidal trails to the deep sea. On hard surfaces, such as rocks or sand, starfish move very slowly.
They attach themselves firmly to these surfaces by creating a vacuum with their tube feet.
What you don't know is that starfish are not as "soft" and "harmless" as they seem, and all starfish are predators. They feed on other, smaller animals, including small crustaceans and mollusks.
Now, you know that even if starfish don't have fins or legs or anything like that, they don't stay attached to the same place forever. If you intend to understand how their movements occur, it won't be too difficult, just read on.
We need to study the general structure of starfish. But don't worry, starfish are not very complex creatures, they do not have such a complex body system as we humans.
The movement of all echinoderms is primarily the responsibility of the aqueous vascular system, including the starfish, which is the system of pipes containing seawater in the animal's body.
The aqueous vascular system also includes a sieve-like plate on the lower surface of the starfish, which has very small pores that filter water and transfer it to a "stone canal" next to it.
The "stone canal" is so named because of the hard rings that support it. The "stone canal" is then connected to a circular pipe inside the starfish, which is a circular pipe because the starfish is a closed pentagram shape.
By connecting the five points of the pentagram tube, more tubes are spread throughout every inch of the starfish body, these are called radial tubes.
Of course, the tube feet are the main attraction. Two double rows of legs are arranged along the radial canals and are connected to the canals by slender connections, which are called lateral canals.
The water vascular system is vital to the movement of the starfish. It can set up hydraulic pressure to draw water in.
All the legs of the tubes have a swollen structure called the pot belly, which ends in a thinner base that forms the platform.
This platform consists of suction cups that help it to attach to the ground.
When the water enters the system through the tiny hair-like part, it first passes through the sieve plate, through the "stone canal", the annular tube, the radial tube, and finally the lateral tube. Then it reaches the belly of the jug, where the water is always present.
When the belly contracts, it pushes the water toward the sucker platform, which causes them to stretch. In this way, one of the starfish's "arms" is separated from the surface to which it is attached. It can then choose the next point of attachment, thus creating displacement.
When it reaches the position where it wants to stay, the pot belly relaxes. This relaxation leads to the tightening of the suction cups. A vacuum is formed inside the suction cup, which allows the starfish to attach to the surface of the object.
After completing these two steps, the starfish arrives at a completely new position. In this way, even though the movement is slow, it is still quite effective.
The water vascular system of the starfish is always in operation. Water is present 24 hours a day inside the tubing and tube-foot pot belly. Therefore, the starfish can move from one place to another at any time and anywhere without waiting for the waves to change position.
Many interesting things are right in front of us, but we never really appreciate how wonderful they are, and starfish fall into this category.