..... a beautiful, blue colored starfish:
The blue starfish is found in the Indian and Pacific ocean near sunny reefs and reef fringes; it is usually found looking for food. The starfish is omnivore, which means it eats both animals and plants, it also eats waste. It averts its stomach while it feeds on coral. It eat small chunks of marine meat or clam for food and sometimes even bacterial films, small encrusting sponges, and dead mollusks. ]In a marine aquarium it prefers sandy, well lit or corral, rubble surface to attach to. Blue starfish often hide in coral or rocky crevices during the day. The blue starfish is solitary in the wild but it will tolerate other starfish and sociable fish in a marine aquarium. The blue starfish has means of protecting its self from attack. It has a chemical defense called saponin which is very effective in deterring predators. It shares this characteristic with the Crown of Thorns starfish. However this defense does not effect other animals, unless that animal is trying to eat the starfish. This however is not completely effective against all predators. For example, the dog-faced puffer is still able to eat the starfish. Some of its natural predators are puffer fishes, harlequin shrimp and sea anemones which are all invertebrates. In the wild it can be found with commensal starfish shrimp around its mouth or on the bottom of its arms.It is not tolerant of sudden changes in its oxygen level, or its salinity. Blue starfish is intolerant of copper-based medications and it must not be exposed to air if you handle it. The blue starfish is sometimes bothered by a parasitic gastropod or snail, Thyca crystalline.
Source:http://www.creationwiki.org/Blue_starfish
So glad you are back and feeling better. Interesting starfish. I have something in common with it - i have been known to eat a dead mollusk too. Mmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteNever saw a blue one before! I still refuse to eat anything that crawls around in the water. Yucky! (double, double yucky) Good for bait, though...LOL!
ReplyDelete