Chocolate Chip Sea Star

Chocolate Chip Sea Star Latest News

Scientists recently discovered a remarkable light-transmitting skeletal structure at the tips of the arms of the chocolate-chip sea star, which channels about 70% of incident light and concentrates it nearly threefold at its base.

About Chocolate Chip Sea Star

• Chocolate Chip Sea Star, also known as the horned sea star, is a species of highly recognizable ornamental sea star.  
• Scientific Name: Protoreaster nodosus

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Chocolate Chip Sea Star Habitat and Distribution

• They are found in the warm, shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific Ocean. 
• They inhabit coral reefs, sandy lagoons, and seagrass beds, typically at depths of up to 30 meters.   

Chocolate Chip Sea Star Features

• These sea stars can grow up to 12 inches in diameter. 
• They have a creamy white base and dark brown projections, resembling chocolate chips. 
• Often they are tan-colored, but they can be other shades as well. 
• Like all sea stars, these guys can regenerate lost body parts. 
• When threatened, they can lose one of their five limbs (a process known as autotomy) to escape predators, and the lost limb may regenerate over time. 
• They are carnivores and typically feed on detritus, small invertebrates, and even the soft tissue of corals. 

Chocolate Chip Sea Star Recent Findings

• On the tip of each arm, a skeletal part contains an array of cone-shaped structures that, like optic fibres, transmit 70% of incident light and concentrate it nearly 3x at the base.  
• Overall, the array captures light from a 120° field of view and ‘brightens’ it 8x inside the arm. 
• Scientists said engineers could use the design for lightweight sensors and displays. 

Key Facts about Sea Stars

• Although sea stars are often called “starfish,” they’re not related to fish.
• They are invertebrates related to sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sand dollars, which are all echinoderms. 
  • ‘’Echinoderm’’ means spiny skin—a reference to their hard, calcified skin, which helps to protect them from predators. 
• They have radial symmetry and tube feet that help them move using water pressure.  
• There are close to 2,000 species of sea stars in the world’s oceans. Most species have five arms, but some have many more—even as many as 40. 
• They are often found under rocks or in crevices. Their mouth, on the underside of their body, has no teeth. 
• When feeding, sea stars wrap their arms around their prey and push their stomach out of their mouth to eat their food. 
• They’re toxic to some predators, but if captured, sea stars can drop an arm to try to escape. 
• They can regrow lost arms—and even an entire new body from a single arm and part of the central disc of their body.

News: TH