Page 165 - It Can't Be True! Animals! - Unbelievable Facts About Amazing Animals (DK)

GROWING AND BREEDING 165

A starfish’s arm is most likely to be lost
in an attack by a predator, such as a large
fish. Some starfish purposely shed an arm
in an escape bid.

What animal can

grow a new body?

Grow-your-own body parts may be far in the

future for humans, but not for starfish, which

can replace lost arms. Incredibly, a cut-off arm

sometimes grows into a whole new starfish.

FAST FACTS

An arm severed from Severed arm New starfish
a starfish through
injury can sometimes
grow into a completely
new starfish. This can
happen only if vital New growth
pieces of the original
body are still attached
to the arm. 1 Through injury, 2 At the end of the 3 Over time, perhaps up to
this starfish has lost severed arm a new body a year, the arm will regrow
one of its five arms. with tiny arms develops. into a new starfish.

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