Fun Granulated Sea Star Facts For Kids
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Choriaster granulatus or the granulated sea stars of the family Oreasteridae are a species of sea star with stubby, short, thick, and round-tipped arms. They are one of the largest species of starfish that are found lying among coral reefs or rubble slopes of the Indo-West Pacific region and the Red Sea.
These starfish belong to a monotypic genus, it is the only organism of the genus Choriaster.
It is commonly known by various other alternate names like a big-plated sea star, granulated starfish, red comb star, doughboy star, and granular sea star. The sea star is heterotrophic in nature; it receives its nutrition from the organic matters found among corals and sponges of the seabed.
The granulated sea stars have a pale pink body and brown papillae in the center. Their diet includes organisms like algae, detritus, coral polyps, and small invertebrates.
The sea star reproduces by sexual and asexual methods. The sexual method occurs by fertilization of gametes where embryos hatch into planktonic larvae and the asexual method includes fragmentation and formation of juvenile sea stars with stubby arms. To know more about the granulated sea star (Choriaster granulatus) keep on reading these amazing facts.
For similar content check out cherry barb and black sea bass pages, too.
Granulated Sea Star Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a granulated sea star?
Choriaster granulatus is a large species of sea star with stubby arms. They are most commonly known as granulated sea stars. They are also known by some other names like a big-plated sea star,granulated starfish, granular sea star, and doughboy star, and red comb star.
What class of animal does a granulated sea star belong to?
The granulated sea stars (Choriaster granulatus) of the genus Choriaster and the family Oreasteridae belong to the class Asteroidea.
How many granulated sea stars are there in the world?
The total number of granulated sea stars (Choriaster granulatus) that are present in the sea is unknown. They are considered to be a widespread and fairly common species of starfish that are interacted frequently by divers.
However, excessive acidification has resulted in the degradation and bleaching of coral reefs. They are also largely threatened by a parasite infestation that makes the arms of the starfish deformed once the parasites attach to the arms. These threats have affected the population of granulated sea stars negatively.
Where does a granulated sea star live?
The granular sea star (Choriaster granulatus) species are not endemic as they are extended over a large range. They occur in the Indo-West Pacific region and extend up to the Indian Ocean.
They are also found up to the Red Sea and East Africa in the west and Fiji in the east. The starfish is also widespread near the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
What is a granulated sea star's habitat?
The granulated starfish (Choriaster granulatus) are found in tropical waters of the world, the water temperature of their natural habitat should be preferable higher than average. They are found in shallow waters at depths ranging between 5-174 ft (1.5–53 m).
The sea star inhabits sea beds with sandy bottoms like coral reefs and rubble slopes. The presence of nearby food sources like algae, detritus, and small invertebrates including coral polyps is commonly noticed in their habitat choice.
Who do granulated sea stars live with?
A group of starfish living together is called a constellation. The granulated starfish can either live alone or sometimes, they are found resting in constellations on sandy reefs or rubble slopes in shallow waters.
How long does a granulated sea star live?
Like all sea star species, the granular sea star is also capable of living more than 30 years in the wild.
How do they reproduce?
Like all members of the class Asteroidea, the Choriaster sea star reproduces both by sexual and asexual methods of reproduction. In sexual reproduction, the fertilization of the female gametes by the male gametes occurs outside the body, in the water.
The male and the female sea stars release tons of respective gametes into the water and the embryos are formed only from the fertilized eggs. The embryos are produced from a part of zooplankton and they hatch into planktonic larvae before transforming into a juvenile starfish.
The juveniles at first have short, thick, and rounded arms. The arms develop as they mature into adults.
Asexual reproduction involves the method of multiplication of the sea star by regeneration. In this process, the juveniles are born from the fragmentation of a part of the starfish's arms and central disc and emerging as new individuals.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of the large granulated sea stars (Choriaster granulatus) is not listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Although the sea star species are met by certain concerning threats in the wild, they presumably do not approach the threshold of Endangered species because of their large population and wide range.
Granulated Sea Star Fun Facts
What do granulated sea stars look like?
Choriaster granulatus is a large sea star with short, thick, and chubby arms. They have a star-shaped body, like the brittle star, with a convex structure. They have five arms that look thick and rounded and are therefore called the doughboy star.
They commonly occur with a pale pink body, but sometimes they are also found in colors like yellow, gray, and red. A brown papilla is there in the center. They have tiny bumps called tube feet on the body.
How cute are they?
These sea stars look very colorful and beautiful because of their body shape.
How do they communicate?
All types of starfish generally communicate by releasing chemical cues.
How big is a granulated sea star?
Doughboy stars (Choriaster granulatus) can have a maximum body length of 10.6 in (27 cm). They are four times bigger than Denison barb.
How fast can a granulated sea star swim?
Most of the starfish are very slow-moving few inches in a minute. However, the granular sea star (Choriaster granulatus) speed has not been determined.
How much does a granulated sea star weigh?
The weight of a granular sea star (Choriaster granulatus) has not been determined.
What are the male and female names of the species?
The starfish male and female do not have specific names as both are called granular sea stars (Choriaster granulatus).
What would you call a baby granulated sea star?
Doughboy star in its juvenile stage is known as larva.
What do they eat?
The granulated sea star (Choriaster granulatus) is a carnivorous animal. Their diet includes algae, detritus, small invertebrates like coral polyps, and carrions.
Are they poisonous?
No, they are not poisonous.
Would they make a good pet?
They are rarely seen in aquarium trades, therefore, cannot be considered as good pets.
Did you know...
The mouth of Choriaster granulatus is present under the body and it helps in capturing the prey by forcefully bringing the digestive organs out of the stomach to absorb the food.
Are sea stars benthic?
All kinds of sea stars including the granulated ones are benthic in nature. They reside at the bottoms of water and scavenge on the surface to find organisms like algae, detritus, coral polyps, and small invertebrates like other benthos such as turbot and plaice.
How have granulated sea stars adapted to their environment?
The granulated sea stars (Choriaster granulatus) are capable of regenerating in large numbers which facilitates their population largely.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other scyphozoans from our crown of thorns starfish facts and starfish facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable cute starfish coloring pages.
Second image by Edward Callaghan.
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