Behind the Jewelry: The Starfish

According to Wikipedia "Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or "basket stars".

Well, isn't that a little dry? lol

What I've always found fascinating about the starfish is how the animal can loose a leg, then regrow a new one. How freaking cool, right?!

Just like with most shells, there are a number of different types of starfish... the sugar star, the knobby star, the the Egyptian star, even the Chocolate Chip star! And while we mostly think of the starfish as having 5 arms, there are species with 6, 9, or even more arms. What a fascinating animal!!

Here are some incredible images of these beauties out in the wild...