Starfish seem so docile, you'd never guess they're actually rather voracious predators whose favorite snacks are mollusks. Their delicate "arms" contain a hydraulic water vascular system that functions via many tiny projections called tube feet, and this is their method of locomotion. You may have heard that if a starfish loses an arm, it can grow another one, and this is true just as long the remaining portion still contains a bit the central nerve ring from which it can regenerate.
I came across this beautiful purple starfish in the waters of northern Florida. At first I wasn't sure if he was alive, but when I picked him up, the little tube feet on his arms started moving. He was gracious enough to agree to a photo, and after admiring him for a moment I put him back in the water so he could go on his way.
THE LEGEND OF THE STARFISH - Small Acts of Kindness Make a Difference
Here's a moving tale about the starfish. I don't know if it's true or not, but it's a wonderful message.
“A vacationing businessman was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy. Along the shore were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned. The boy was walked slowly along the shore and occasionally reached down and tossed the beached starfish back into the ocean.
The businessman, hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, “I have been watching what you are doing, son. You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day.
Surely such an industrious and kind hearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time. Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?”
The boy looked up at the man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet.
He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said, “It makes a difference to that one.”