Originally
posted by
Stew2000:
Why would a Starfish need to open a clam?
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_a_starfish_eat
"Some species take advantage of the great endurance of their water vascular systems to force open the shells of bivalve mollusks such as clams and mussels, and inject their stomachs into the shells. Once the stomach is inserted inside the shell it digests the mollusk in place. The cardiac stomach is then brought back inside the body, and the partially digested food is moved to the pyloric stomach. Because of this ability to digest food outside of its body, the sea star is able to hunt prey that are much larger than its mouth would otherwise allow including arthropods, and even small fish in addition to mollusks."
Don't sound as innocent as they look now do they?
They are a huge pest for the commercial oyster farmers.
They can't even be chopped up and returned to the sea because they regenerate from parts.