SEA STARS Sea stars are animals found in oceans and along ocean shores They are also known as starfish Sea stars are neither fish nor stars Many of the most common species however are shaped like five-pointed stars Sea stars are echinoderms Echinoderms are boneless marine animals with spiny skins and simple body plans Sea cucumbers sand dollars and sea urchins are other common echinoderms Many of the 1,800 species of sea stars have five arms 5
A sea star has neither head nor brain It does have nerves however that sense light and probably sense food The center of most sea star bodies is a round disk The animal’s mouth is in the middle of the disk’s underside The underside of a sea star shows its mouth 6 Sea stars and prickly green sea urchins are echinoderm cousins
