What Habitat Does a Starfish Require?

The natural diversity prevalent in aquatic life is highly intriguing and astonishing. One unique form of aquatic life is a five-armed organism known as the starfish. The appendages give the organism a star-shaped appearance, which is the fundamental reason behind naming it so. However, many scientists opine that the term "sea star" is more appropriate because the organism does not fall into the category of fish. This invertebrate lives in a very diverse habitat and can be found in practically all seas and oceans.

  1. Geographical Variation

    • Considering the abundance of its species, it is only natural that starfish inhabit all of the world's oceans. While the greatest number of species live in the tropical Indo-Pacific areas, starfish are known to occupy waters of all temperatures. Other aquatic regions of the world that have an abundance of starfish include the water bodies enveloping Australia and the north Pacific Ocean.

    Aquatic Habitat

    • The habitat of starfish ranges from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone. This means that in addition to inhabiting the deep sea and ocean waters up to almost 6,000 meters in depth, starfish also can be seen on the shores in the intertidal zone. They live in saline waters, with salinity ranging from 1.022 to 1.025.

    Other Common Habitats

    • Because the range of starfish stretches to about 400 meters offshore, the organism commonly inhabits several different habitats. Starfish are well-adapted to not only sandy beaches but also rocks, coral reefs, kelp forests and kelp beds. Starfish are observed sharing space with other marine life in minute holes in rocks. Corals form both a habitat and food source of these organisms. Starfish commonly inhabit kelp forests and beds in the temperate and polar coastal oceans. Although starfish can survive on fine sand and carpets of algae, the population is higher in the latter regions.

    Benthos Adaptation

    • The mouth of a starfish is on the underside of its body, which allows the organism to easily feed on minute marine animals living on the ocean floor. The invertebrate swallows its prey whole or pushes its stomach out of its mouth, envelops its prey and digests it externally. Because starfish are well-equipped to survive on, in or adjacent to sea beds, they are often categorized as benthos organisms.