sea star
Five-armed ocean dweller
Sea star is the more precise term for what most people call a starfish.
These marine animals aren't fish at all—they're echinoderms, related to sea urchins and sand dollars.
Most have five arms radiating from a central disk, though some species have many more.
Scientists and aquariums increasingly prefer sea star to avoid the misleading "fish" designation.
Hydraulic locomotion appendages
- armUpper body limb
- ossiclesMinute skeletal structures
- endoskeletonBody's inner framework
- calciteCrystalline calcium carbonate
coelom · pyloric caeca · eyespot · spines
Underwater rock or coral formation
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- kelp forestSeaweed-dominated underwater ecosystem
- ocean floorUnderwater continental surface
- benthicOf the sea bottom
subtidal · coastal · Pacific · Atlantic · Caribbean · Indo-Pacific · predator · scavenger
Spiny-skinned marine invertebrate
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- phylumMajor classification rank
- classGrouping by shared traits
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
Tentacled polyp or bloom
- barnacleSessile marine crustacean
- urchinNeglected street child
- limpetRock-gripping marine snail
- chitonDraped Hellenic attire
hermit crab · mussel · snail · periwinkle · rockpool · algae · seaweed · intertidal
Emanating from center
Biological self-repair of damage
- wound healingRestoration after injury
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
- asexual reproductionSingle-parent cloning process
- morphogenesisDevelopmental shape emergence
tube feet
Hydraulic locomotion appendages
- armUpper body limb
- ossiclesMinute skeletal structures
- endoskeletonBody's inner framework
calcite · coelom · pyloric caeca · eyespot · spines
reef
Underwater rock or coral formation
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- kelp forestSeaweed-dominated underwater ecosystem
- ocean floorUnderwater continental surface
benthic · subtidal · coastal · Pacific · Atlantic · Caribbean · Indo-Pacific · predator · scavenger · oyster reef
echinoderm
Spiny-skinned marine invertebrate
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- phylumMajor classification rank
- classGrouping by shared traits
anemone
Tentacled polyp or bloom
chiton · hermit crab · mussel · snail · periwinkle · rockpool · algae · seaweed · intertidal · crevice
radial
Emanating from center
tissue regeneration
Biological self-repair of damage
- wound healingRestoration after injury
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
- asexual reproductionSingle-parent cloning process
- California Sea Lifeharbor seal, gray whale, great white shark, abalone, giant kelp
- star-shaped thingssheriff badge, asterisk, pentagram, hexagram, starburst
- echinodermsechinoderm, sand dollar, urchin, sand dollars, brittle stars
- ocean lifeocean, shark, whale, dolphin, ocean life
- sea lifeshark, whale, dolphin, salmon, jellyfish
- underwaterunderwater, submerged, immersed, seabed, seafloor
sea starfish
Gilled aquatic vertebrate
bony fish · vertebrate · shark · jellyfish · tuna
sea starflying fish
Marine glider with fins
surface dweller · tuna · dolphin · marlin · seabird