I was boating in Menemsha with my sister when I saw a startfish in the crystal clear water and commented on its beauty. My baby sister wrinkled her nose and said “You know they are predators. They eat shell fish. They are not that nice.” I couldn’t believe that she had such strong feeling about the beautiful starfish. I was stunned when I found out she was right.
A few starfish facts from the Larrier House:
· Star fish eat mollusks such as clams, oysters, some snails and even smaller star fish.
· Star fish mouths are located on the underside of the body
· Starfish can eat three times their weight. They wreak havoc to oyster bed. One year in Connecticut 42,000 bushels of starfish were removed from oyster beds, but only after doing $632,500 of damage.1
· Star fish surround their prey with their arms and push their stomach through their mouths. Their stomach attaches to its prey and they begin the digestive process.
· Starfish are capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction
So what do you think? Are starfish friend or foe? Weigh in at the Larrier House Facebook page or this blog site and let us know what you think.
