Starfish

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/starfish

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Class Asteroidea
2. What is the lifespan?Variable, typically 5-10 years, but some species can live for several decades
3. What are starfish and how many arms do they usually have?Starfish are sea creatures in the class Asteroidea. They usually have five arms that radiate from a central disc, but some species have more.
4. How do starfish move and catch food?Starfish move with thousands of tube feet that have tiny suckers. They can pull up their stomach to eat prey outside their mouth, letting them digest big clams and oysters.

Pentaradial Symmetry: A body plan where parts are arranged in five radiating sections around a central axis.
Ossicles: Small, calcareous plates that form the endoskeleton of echinoderms.
Keystone Species: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance.