CLASS ASTEROIDEA

• Animals Kingdom (Animalia)

• Echinoderms (Phylum Echinodermata

• Sea Stars and Brittle Stars (Subphylum Asterozoa)

• Sea Stars (Class Asteroidea)

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Class Asteroidea comprises the sea stars, commonly known as starfish, a diverse group of marine echinoderms within the phylum Echinodermata. Found in oceans worldwide from intertidal shores to the deep sea, sea stars are characterized by a central disc and usually five arms, although some species possess many more. They move using hundreds of tube feet powered by a unique water vascular system and are well known for their remarkable ability to regenerate lost arms, with some species capable of regenerating an entire body from a single arm and part of the central disc. Most sea stars are predators or scavengers, feeding on mollusks, barnacles, corals, and other marine invertebrates.