Sea Stars

<p>Although sea stars are also called starfish they are not actually fish but are in a group of animals called echinoderms. The word echinoderm means spiny skin. Sea stars are found only in the salty waters of oceans. Most have five arms giving them a star-like shape but some can have up to 24 arms. Sea stars have a flat body with the mouth and little tube feet on the underside. Tube feet are small hollow tubes that stick out from the underside of the body and are used for movement and gripping food. Sea stars have an eye at the tip of each arm and come in many different sizes and colors. They need to be observed while they are in water because they will die quickly when taken out of water. </p><p>A pronunciation guide of scientific terms is included. 24 pages with colorful illustrations and photographs and easily understood text. Reading Level 1-3. Interest Level 2-5. Word count 249. Lexile measure 500L. </p>