Sunflower Stars

Summary
Students will understand what a sunflower star is, understand its habitat and learn about its needs.

Objectives
• Students will be able to recognize what a sunflower star is.

• Students will be able to understand vocabulary associated with a sunflower star.

Suggested Grades
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade

Excerpt
Like other sea stars, Sunflower Stars usually dine on invertebrates they find on the seafloor such as clams and mussels they pry open using their strength until an opening allows them to extrude, or throw out, their digestive juices. The digestive juices turn the fleshy meal into a soup-like mixture that is easily consumed. Sometimes a small invertebrate is drawn in whole and then its shell is spit out when its body is digested. Sunflower Stars don?t have ?eyes? such as we do, but have eyespots on the tips of their many arms that allow them to respond to touch, water currents, and light.

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