Red Cushion Starfish

Cayman is home to it very own version of undersea rainbows. Although known as the Red Cushion Starfish, these stars of the Caribbean can be a variety of colors including

brown, yellow, orange, and particularly green when juveniles are camouflaging in the seabed.

What they look like – Red Cushions are the largest of starfish species to be found in the

Caribbean and reach almost 20 inches in width. Most starfish have five arms projecting from the center mouth area, but some have four, six or seven arms. Tubed feet located under the arms possess small suckers that allow the starfish to move along the sandy or grassy bottom and adhere to surfaces. These feet are also linked to their hydro-vascular system which aides in nutrition distribution, waste

management, and respiration. The starfish hydro-vascular system needs to seawater to support and maintain life. Without water and being exposed to air even for a short time, the starfish will drown from carbon dioxide. This hydro-vascular system also makes them much more vulnerable to water pollution.

What they eat – The red cushion starfish eats a diet of both plants and animals. Their main diet includes algae, sponges and small invertebrates that live in the sand. The starfish rakes together a lot of sediment and then turns its stomach inside out engulfs the mass.

Starfish super power – Red cushion starfish

have the ability to regenerate amputate limbs. The predators above may cause the starfish to lose an arm or they might decide to drop an arm in defense. The starfish arms each have tube feet for movement and contains organs for digestion and reproductions. With all of these organs in each arm it allows the starfish easily to survive the loss of a

limb. The regeneration process is slow and can take more than a year for the limb to fully regrow.

Are they male or female??? Sex is determined at sexual maturity usually around 5 years old based on the number of individuals in the environment. Their reproduction is external where males and females need to release gametes into the ocean and hope that the two will meet and fertilize. The fertilized gamete will then drift in the current for several stages and before settling as a juvenile on the sea floor. The starfish can then live up to 35 years.