A Star Is Born Much like their echinoderm cousins, the sea urchins, sea stars (such as this&nbs
A Star Is Born Much like their echinoderm cousins, the sea urchins, sea stars (such as this Luidia sarsi) possess a variety of larval forms that can look quite different from their adult forms. One of these forms is the bipinnaria larva—the elongated, transparent, tentacled thing you see in the first image. As the bipinnaria floats with the plankton, feeding and growing, a juvenile sea star begins to develop at its oral end, looking vaguely star-shaped, but not quite there yet. The juvenile L. sarsi soon outgrows its larval form (which it absorbs), and sets out to begin life as a young star. *tear*Image sources: BBC Brasil and Interesting Animal Facts Reference: Domanski. 1984. -- source link
#rising star#sea star#starfish#echinoderms#marine biology#zoology#interesting animals