On the bottom
In a recent swim, my swim buddy discussed the different starfish. It was delightful to learn that the 11 arm starfish were local ones, not the purplish invasive species. Immediately after this discussion, farther out in 6 meters water depth, I spied a starfish far below on the bottom and tried counting the arms. The clarity was excellent, but I thought my mind wasn't, as on each count I couldn't make it to 11. Feeling slightly flummoxed, I stopped, then duck-dived to take a photo for a later arm count.
This star fish is actually the Eleven-Armed Seastar. While humans and most animals need complex brains to negotiate to find a mate, mating, birthing and then raising a new young baby, this amazing creature discards such frivolities. It has fissiparous reproduction where the animal divides in two to create new individuals. Well, I never. Is it no wonder that it has no heart?
It is one of the largest sea stars in Victoria. It typically has 11 arms, which would be about 25cm long, however, its arms can be different lengths or even missing due to damage. Don't worry, missing an arm? Just regenerate it. Need a brain? Not at all for starfish, nor blood. Oh, the tips and tricks of this little Victoria carnivore!