Cutting off a starfish leg

[yuji]

if i were to cut off a leg of a starfish and leave it alone, will it grow back into another starfish?

[xiggie]

definitely not .......

[FuEl]

It will. But it will take very very long.

[DeepBlue]

I used to have a starfish that had one of its legs broken off....no prob...grew back over a long time...the other piece...actually grew till it looks like a mini arm...(reminds me of Adam's family)

[lightningstrike]

I used to have a starfish that had one of its legs broken off....no prob...grew back over a long time...the other piece...actually grew till it looks like a mini arm...(reminds me of Adam's family)

think he's asking whether it will propagate into another starfish.

[eques]

to wat i feel it will not. unless you cut it to half .

[yuji]

hmm.. ok. thanks guys.

[DeepBlue]

think he's asking whether it will propagate into another starfish.

cut off or broke off...shouldnt be much different...

obviously it shouldnt suddenly split to another starfish just like that..but the broken leg did have the ability to grow into another starfish

I very sure as I my tiny starfish's leg had four tiny legs growing out of the part that was broken off. it happily crawled all over my tank,independent of the main body after that

[Guinness]

I sense harlequin shrimp owners are the ones in this thread....

[DeepBlue]

haha...if so ...no need to wonder whether they will grow into another starfish...just cut it and throw it at the Harlequins....

geez....sounds cruel to do that.... thats one reason I have avoided getting these beautiful shrimps

[BlueKing]

Yes, it sure will.... But will take a very long time.....

[riot]

I very sure as I my tiny starfish's leg had four tiny legs growing out of the part that was broken off. it happily crawled all over my tank,independent of the main body after that

Man, that's creepy!

[xiggie]

Yes, it sure will.... But will take a very long time.....

i wonder how a piece of starfish leg eats without its main body and mouth ...

or do they photosynthesize ....

[Gouldian]

From what I know, Sea Stars can grow back its limbs provided the centre, which is where the major organs are, are intact.

Without it, the limbs will just degenerate or in the wild eaten by others.

[BlueKing]

i wonder how a piece of starfish leg eats without its main body and mouth ...

or do they photosynthesize ....

Sorry, to correct my previous statement.

If it's given enough time, a starfish can grow back arms that have been damaged or removed. For a few species, the severed arm can grow back into a complete starfish! For most starfish, a severed limb dies.

[DeepBlue]

here's a little more info I have found about starfishes:

"Starfish are famous for their powers of regeneration. They can re-grow lost limbs, and a new animal can even grow from one arm and a fragment of the body. More properly known as sea stars, starfish may be useful models for studying wound healing and regeneration in humans, and scientists are analyzing gene expression in the gray sand star, Luidia foliolata, to identify genes involved in regeneration........" by Sarah E. DeWeerdt

quite interesting stuff on research done for possible human medical science...

maybe one day, starfish can really save a lot of us

the link: starfish

[delirium]

Sounds freaky to me. How on earth does the broken off arm of leg feed itself?

[xiggie]

A. Sea stars, like other echinoderms, do have remarkable powers of regeneration, but they're not quite as remarkable as you seem to think! Most sea stars are able to regenerate a lost arm, but studies have dismissed stories of sea stars regenerating from small pieces. A substantial portion of the central disc must remain in order for the animal to regenerate new arms. A single, isolated arm will die.

Of course, every good generality has its exception, and in this case, it is the sea star known as Linckia, sometimes called the comet star. This sea star is able to regenerate an entire individual from a single arm. Often, one can see an animal with one large arm, a tiny body and four associated tiny arms. This newly formed animal resembles a comet (with the central nucleus and tail), thus the common name.

quoted from here

[DeepBlue]

then mine must have good mutant gene to survive and grew new legs from the single leg it was. mine is actually not a linkia

well, guess we're not biologist..sometimes exceptions do appear. qouting from different sources do help build up more knowledge on the animal.

That's what we were looking for ...some scientific findings, sharing of exp instead of yes or no as answers.

[Gouldian]

Thanks for the info bro. Must have taken you some time to do the necessary research. Appreciate it.