The phylum Echinodermata includes sea stars. They are thus related to sand dollars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea lilies. This phylum contains approximately 7,000 species in total. Many echinoderms have radial symmetry, which means that their body parts are organized around a central axis. Because their bodies are divided into five sections, many sea stars have five-point radial symmetry. This means they don't have a clear left and right half, only a top and a bottom. Spines are also common in echinoderms, though they are less prominent in sea stars than in other organisms such as sea urchins.

On October 18, 1963, French scientists launched the first cat into space using a rocket. The feline's name was Félicette, and she landed safely after a parachute descent. She'll almost certainly fall on her feet.

Nobody hates being stung by a jellyfish, but they normally don't make you feel like the world is ending - unless you're stung by the Irukandji in Australian seas. The bite of this little box jellyfish produces Irukandji syndrome, which induces a developing sensation of dread that can become so intense that patients have begged physicians to put them out of their suffering.

Those who believe that everything on the planet has already been discovered may simply be looking in the wrong places. A tiny chameleon discovered in northern Madagascar and measuring only 28.9 millimetres is thought to be the world's smallest reptile. The tiny chameleon was discovered recently and will be published in the January 2021 issue of Scientific Reports. But there is one thing about these critters that is unusually large for their size: Males' genitalia account for nearly 20% of their total body length.

When the meteor hit the Yucatán Peninsula 65 million years ago, it didn't create a massive blaze that instantaneously annihilated all of the dinosaurs, as well as pterosaurs and marine reptiles. Rather, the extinction process went on for hundreds, if not thousands, of years as global temperatures plummeted, sunlight became scarce, and the accompanying lack of vegetation drastically disrupted the food chain from the bottom up. Some isolated dinosaur populations, isolated in remote parts of the earth, may have lasted slightly longer than their kin, but they are undoubtedly extinct now.

Sea stars, astonishingly, can regenerate lost arms, which is useful if a sea star is injured by a predator. It is capable of losing an arm, escaping, and growing a new arm later. The majority of sea stars' vital organs are housed in their arms. This means that some species can regenerate an entirely new sea star from just one arm and a portion of the central disc of an old one. This won't happen overnight; it takes about a year for an arm to regenerate.

You wouldn't want to get into a battle with an eagle since your odds aren't good. While people must think about gripping, eagles must think about not gripping. They also have a grasp that is ten times stronger than ours, so if they decide to hold onto you, you'll have a difficult time moving them. They can normally hoist prey weighing up to a couple of pounds, although the biggest varieties of eagles can lift prey weighing up to 5 pounds.

Ostriches, like many other savanna animals, can go several days without drinking water. When watering holes are available, ostriches will drink from them, but they can get the majority of their water from the food they eat. They can also survive without water because they can raise their body temperature and limit water loss. Finally, unlike other birds, ostrich urine is secreted independently of faeces, allowing them to conserve water. 5

Snow leopards are built for cold weather and leaping since they live on mountain ledges and peaks. Their feet are fur-covered to keep them warm in snowy circumstances and to serve as snowshoes. They have lengthy tails that assist them keep their balance. And, because to their muscular rear legs, they can jump up to 50 feet in a single leap.

Nobody understands why cats meow, but researchers believe they're channeling their inner kitty. Baby cats meow to attract their mother's attention, but as adults, they do not meow when socializing with other cats. According to some experts, felines use the noises they produced as infants with humans to communicate their emotions and physical necessities.

The earliest dinosaurs appeared some 230 million years ago, during the middle to late Triassic epoch, in the portion of the Pangean supercontinent that is now South America. Previously, archosaurs, therapsids, and pelycosaurs were the main terrestrial reptiles. Prehistoric crocodiles were the most deadly creatures on Earth for around 20 million years after dinosaurs developed. Only 200 million years ago, at the start of the Jurassic epoch, did dinosaurs actually begin their ascent to supremacy.

Dolphins are believed to be among the brightest creatures on the world, probably due to their ability to save mental energy. Because they must always be on the alert for predators, marine animals have devised a clever mechanism that allows them to maintain partial consciousness while a portion of their brain sleeps. Researchers investigated if this "half sleep" affects the animals' awareness during the day, but discovered that they were as attentive and observant as before after five days of having their nocturnal alertness regularly evaluated.

Sea stars are not true fish, even though they live underwater and are commonly referred to as "starfish." They lack gills, scales, and fins, as do fish. Sea stars move in a manner distinct from that of fish. While fish use their tails to propel themselves, sea stars use tiny tube feet to propel themselves. Scientists prefer to refer to starfish as "sea stars" because they are not classified as fish.

Most YouTube videos of adorable pairs of animals from different species fail to meet scientists' definitions of "friendship" (a long-lasting bond of sacrifice, shared moments and hurt after loss). Several studies, however, have shown that animals, at least chimps, baboons, horses, hyenas, elephants, bats, and dolphins, can form lifelong friendships with individuals who are not of their species. In Kenya, there is even documented evidence of a friendship between a centenarian turtle and a young hippopotamus.

This is one of the lesser-known intriguing cockroach facts. This may sound unsettling, but cockroaches can live for a week without their heads. This isn't to say they don't have brains; it's just that their brain doesn't regulate all of their physical processes. The cockroach cannot drink without its head and hence perishes from thirst!

Sea stars have a circulatory system that is primarily made up of seawater rather than blood. Through the sieve plate, seawater is pumped into the animal's water vascular system. This is a trap door known as a madreporite, which is often visible as a light-colored spot on the starfish's top. Seawater moves into the sea star's tube feet from the madreporite, causing the arm to extend. To retract the limb, muscles within the tube feet are used.

Eagles are apex predators, which means they dwell at the top of the food chain in their environment. To live at the top of the food chain, they must clearly be rather large and powerful, powerful enough to transport any prey they hunt down to a more convenient area where they may securely feast on it. Eagles can carry a maximum of four to five pounds, while young deer, known as fawns or calves, weigh four to eight pounds. Do I need to say more? Never undervalue an eagle!

Experts believe that cats hate water because it is bad for them to have wet fur. It also terrifies a cat to lose control of its ability to float.

The stonefish causes severe vasoconstriction. If you are stung by one, you may have shock, paralysis, malaise, nausea and vomiting, sweating, delirium, pyrexia, cardiogenic shock, respiratory difficulty, and even death if anti-venom is not administered within a few hours. If you survive, the symptoms might continue for days to weeks, and full recovery can take months.

Are you aware that your blood aids mosquito reproduction? Your blood contains the protein needed by mosquito eggs to grow. You should also be aware that only female mosquitoes bite. Apply insect repellent cream or lotion to protect yourself from mosquito bites.

That's enough power to kill a horse. And, while it may not be enough to kill you instantaneously, it is enough to knock you unconscious and leave you to drown. On a related point, being shocked by one burns your skin.

In addition to sprinting away from predators, ostriches can kick them with their long, powerful legs. In contrast to other animals that can kick their back legs, ostriches must strike with a forward kick to maintain their balance. This produces a powerful impact that can cause serious injury – or even death – to both humans and lions. 7

There are approximately 2,000 different types of sea stars. Some live in the intertidal zone, while others live in deep ocean water. While many species live in tropical environments, sea stars can also be found in cold environments, including the polar regions.

The blue whale is the world's biggest mammal, weighing up to 150 tons and reaching up to 90 feet long. A large animal would, of course, have a massive heart. The heart of a blue whale is approximately the size of a small vehicle and weighs about 1,300 pounds. Its heart beats so fast to pump blood through its massive body and arteries that you can hear it from two kilometres distant. You could miss it, though, because its heart beats only eight to ten times each minute.