Just the Facts (on Cushion Starfish)
. CUSHION STARFISH FACT FILE • Starfish is a name that is beginning to fall out of fashion because they aren’t really fish. The species are now called seastars. • Cushion Starfish or Seastars range in colour from brown to orange, red, and yellow. They grow to a diameter of 10 inches and lives at a depth to 50 feet. • As a natural defense mechanism, the starfish is able to change its body colour to hide or escape from predators. • The arms of the starfish are used for movement, catching prey and digestion. It is able to grow a new arm if one is lost. • It feeds on slow-moving or stationary animals. Clams, oysters and snails are the usual prey, but it also eats fish eggs and mollusk. The starfish stomach extends through the mouth to snare food. The meal is then transported to the starfish's digestive glands within its arms. • Cushion Starfish live up to 8 years in captivity and can survive up to two hours out of water.