When You Wish Upon a Star Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cushion starfish

The cushion starfish derives its name from its puffy, pillow-like appearance. It is usually found near coral reefs and is often mistaken for an unusual type of sand dollar. While juveniles look like a regular starfish, as they age their arms appear to grow together. If you turn the cushion starfish over, it is easy to see the typical five-point symmetry that is so indicative of a starfish.

The cushion starfish is a wonderful example of the diversity of the starfish.

Answer: 5

Found in the northern Pacific ocean, the predatory sunflower sea star, like all starfish, starts out with five arms. As it grows it develops new arms and as an adult may have well over twenty arms. The sunflower sea star is one of the largest starfish on the planet, with an arm span over three feet (1m) across.

They come in a variety of colors and are not usually found near the shoreline as their large size requires support from their watery environment.

Answer: Indian Ocean

This starfish is usually found in the Indian Ocean but can occasionally be found in the extreme western parts of the Pacific. Sometimes call a red African sea star, this starfish has a thick gray body with bright red tubercles up and down its arms. It is very adaptable and can live in very shallow tidal pools but have been found as deep as 300 ft. (90m).

The red knobbed starfish can be kept in a home aquarium but will often attempt to eat any other starfish, sponge or bivalve in the aquarium.

Answer: Deep-sea areas of New Zealand

The Brisingida is an order of deep-sea starfish that is most numerous off the coast of New Zealand and in the deep waters of the Caribbean. Most of these starfish have over ten long slender arms that are used for suspension feeding. This involves holding the arms up in the water while the sea star lays on the floor of the ocean.

The water current flows around the arms allowing them to catch small shrimp and krill. This type of sea star is often found on the sides of underwater cliffs where there are usually strong water currents bringing in a plethora of food.

Answer: At the end of their arms

Many people are surprised to learn that starfish have an "eye" on the end of each arm. So the number of eyes that each starfish has is related to how many arms it has. These "eyes" are not the same as human eyes and are found underneath the skin. If you ever have the chance to hold a living starfish look at the end of one of their arms and you will see a red or black eye spot. Because of their environment, a starfish does not require eyes that can capture the detail needed by other animals, but because of the number of eye spots each starfish has, they have a wider area of vision than many other animals both on land and in the sea.

Answer: False

The primary food source for most starfish are bivalves such as clams, abalone, and oysters. These starfish have an unusual manner of catching and eating their food. The mouth of the starfish is very small and located in the center of their underbelly.

They wrap their arms around their prey and attempt to pry it open, which is a rather difficult task. Once they have it open just enough, they push their stomach out of their mouths and inside the shell of their prey. They digest the animal while still inside its shell and then slide their stomachs back inside their own bodies.

Answer: Skin

The starfish is an amazing animal. It serves an important role in the underwater ecosystems of our planet's oceans. It does this without a brain or liver and without blood. All starfish have skin of varying kinds. They have an endoskeleton the provides protection from predators. Most starfish have tough skins made of calcium carbonate which not only cover the animal, they also make up the spines, and bumpy tubercles.

The construction of the outer dermis could be compared to the construction of a shingled roof except that the tiles or shingles have no overlap and no gaps.

Answer: True

The phylum Echinodermata includes all starfish, sea urchins, sea lilies, and sand dollars. Most have a five point symmetry and can be found from shallow ocean water, clear down to the abyssal zone. There are over 7,000 different types of Echinodermata, all of which live in saltwater. One of the most interesting traits that Echinoderms have is their ability to regenerate limbs, organs, and some have been known to completely regenerate from a single limb.

Answer: True

This is completely true. Starfish do not have fins and despite their name, are not actually fish. The hundreds of tubular feet found on their underside fill with sea water, which is forced through a sieve plate known as a madreporite. You may be surprised by how quickly starfish can move.

These tubular feet also help the starfish to hold its prey, which usually consists of bivalves such as mussels and clams. This photo shows the underbelly of a "magnificent star" starfish, the tubular feet being red-tipped.

Answer: They have venomous spines

While most starfish are not venomous, the crown-of-thorn starfish has toxins called saponins. This common starfish lives on coral reefs where it feeds on the coral. They are covered in long spines that can easily pierce a wetsuit. These toxins are usually not deadly, but they cause swelling, burning, redness, nausea, stinging and prolonged bleeding. If the spine breaks off into the skin, it must be removed surgically. This starfish comes in many varieties that can grow over three ft. (1m) in diameter and have over 20 arms.