Monthly Archives: April 2014
145.HOW DOES AN OCTOPUS MOVE?
The octopus belongs to a group of animals called “cephalopods.” The name means “head-footed” because the foot is divided into long armlike tentacles that grow out around the head. The octopus has eight such tentacles.
Even though the octopus belongs to that part of the animal kingdom known as mollusks, it is quite different from clams and oysters, which are mollusks, too. It is more closely related to the squids.
144.HOW DO LOBSTERS GROW?
One of the most curious creatures to be found in the sea is the lobster. It is a “crustacean,” which means a hard-shelled animal, and it is related to the crawfish, the shrimp, and the prawn.
There are three species of true lobsters. American lobsters, which live all along the Atlantic coast from Labrador to North Carolina, are the biggest members of the family. Next in size is the European lobster, which is found on the eastern shores of the Atlantic. The smallest lobster is the African species found off the Cape of Good Hope.
143.DOES A STARFISH HAVE EYES?
The starfish is one of the most curious of sea creatures. Among its queer relatives are the prickly sea-urchins, the sea cucumbers, and the sand dollars. There are more than 6,000 of these relatives and they are called “echinoderms,” which means spiny-skinned.
The starfish and its relatives all have well-developed nervous and digestive systems. This system follows the same five-armed arrangement which occurs in all echinoderms.
