‪#‎CreatureFeatureThursday‬ in #‎OurWorldOceans from AMMPA

Today is ‪#‎CreatureFeatureThursday‬ in ‎#OurWorldOceans‬ and we’d like to tell you a bit about the sea stars that share the same ecosystem with the dolphins, in the wild as well as in the Dolphin Discovery facilites, just like this one in Cayman Island.

Did you know that the sea stars has an eye at the tip of each arm? Also it turns its stomach inside out and brings it out through its mouth.  This wraps its stomach around the food and pulls it back inside after the food is digested.
Another interesting fact is that a sea stars can grow a whole new body from just one arm.

Unfortunatelly the population of the sea stars are devastated by wasting disease (SSWD-Sea Star Wasting Syndrome) on the west coast from Alaska to Southern California over the past year.

There is evidence that there is an infectious cause that may be either primary or secondary. SSWD appears to be transmissible between individuals and between susceptible sea star species. Given the current situation, it is recommended that acquisition of sea stars from known areas impacted by SSWD be avoided.