Backyard Zoology · 2 July 2018
2018-07-02T18:07:49+10:00
https://www.facebook.com/backyardzoology/videos/821236474729330/

When you're not feeling your usual self but still need to take your 3 legs out for a walk...wait...what?!

So the other day I posted about the Eleven-Armed Sea Star I found and it's ability to regrow from a separated arm as long as part of the central disc remained attached...and just like that...manifested! (Kind of wishing I could manifest a bikini body, diamonds or a new job but not going to knock this awesome find of Matts). 

How WEIRD does this look? When Matt spotted it he yelled out to me and I could hear the confusion in his voice and practically see the cogs turning as he tried to work out what he was looking at: "ah bunny...there's something here that kind of looks like a sea star but kind of doesn't and it's only got three legs and it's FAST". I knew what I HOPED I would see by the time I finally rock-hopped my way across to him but was totally and utterly blown away with what I saw, not just by how a new animal can grow from essentially nothing but how it can live and move and just get on with it even as a shadow of its former self.

Not gonna lie, I really had to hold myself back from picking this one up and flipping it over because I was pretty desperate to see how developed it was underneath and exactly how different it looked from your average sea star. But I figured this one was quite vulnerable as it was and didn't want to cause it any damage so I left well enough alone. You can see that it does have the seive plate which is the white spot on top. That lets the water in that runs the water vascular system which echinoderms such as sea stars and sea urchins have instead of blood and helps the animal to move and to transport food and waste throughout the body. 

But as for what comes first - I have no idea. I mean, can they function without the sieve plate or without the mouth, suriving until these parts are regrown? Clearly this sea star has regenerated from next to nothing but how little is too little to restart from? Now that is a question for smarter people than me. I mean, what do I know - I spent my time watching some of the Logies last night!😂

Edit: Clearly Alastair didn’t watch the Logies last night - because he’s a legend and pointed out that the process is called ‘budding’ and is basically repeated cell division at the one site. And this is why I have the best page...because it’s full of the best people! Thanks Alastair! 🙏

Regenerating Eleven-Armed Sea Star
Sandon Point 

#northernillawarra #coalcoast #seastar #rockpools #marinelife #rockpooling #fromlittlethingsbigthingsgrow #welovethegong   #elevenarmedseastar #backyardzoology