Starfish, also known as sea stars, are a type of echinoderm belonging to the class Starfish, with approximately 1600 species.

Their unique five-spoked symmetrical body features five or more arms extending from the central disk.

Despite lacking a brain structure, blood, or heart, they possess an internal plumbing system and multiple tubular feet on their arms to aid in movement, water suction, and food capture.

These remarkable creatures can be found in a variety of environments, from intertidal zones to the deep seabed, in the Arctic, Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans.

They primarily feed on shellfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and occasionally other sea stars or corals. To consume their prey, starfish can eject their stomachs, enveloping their food and digesting it externally.

One of the most intriguing traits of starfish is their regenerative ability. If a starfish is fragmented and thrown back into the sea, each piece can quickly regrow its missing part, growing into several new starfish.

For instance, a sand starfish can develop a new individual from just a centimeter of its carapace, and some species can even regenerate an entire starfish from a single arm fragment. Starfish can regenerate naturally after damage to the body disc, carapace, or self-cutting.

Their exceptional regenerative capacity has piqued the interest of scientists, who are investigating it to gain insight and seek new medical treatments for humans.

When a starfish is injured, reserve cells containing all the genes for the lost body part are activated, working alongside other tissues to regenerate the missing arm or other parts.

Due to this outstanding regenerative ability, some starfish species have evolved the ability to reproduce asexually, reducing the need for mating. However, most starfish do not reproduce asexually.

Starfish have a unique body shape, typically with five long arms on a disk-shaped body.

Although they lack visible eyes, recent research by US and Israeli scientists discovered that starfish are "monitors" with an unusual visual system.

Tiny crystals in their spiny skin function as lenses that allow them to observe their surroundings from all directions simultaneously.

These lenses are so small that their size is significantly smaller than the lenses currently produced using high-tech manufacturing processes for human use.

The multitude of lenses in their spiny skin enables starfish to obtain information from all directions and remain aware of their surroundings.

Starfish play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem, controlling the population of shellfish and other species, thus maintaining biodiversity and balance.

They help keep the biota in equilibrium, such as a species of sea star that frequently preys on rainbows that cling densely to reefs off the west coast of the United States, preventing overpopulation and territorial encroachment.

However, starfish face numerous threats from human activities and climate change, including fishing, pollution, invasive species, diseases, and habitat loss.

Starfish are fascinating creatures with extraordinary regenerative abilities and an unusual visual system.

They play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem, maintaining balance and biodiversity.

However, they face significant threats from human activities and climate change, necessitating increased efforts to protect and conserve them.