Starfish or sea stars are starshaped echinoderms

belonging to the class

Asteroidea

 About 1,500 species of starfish occur

on the seabed in all the world's
oceans, from the tropics to frigid
polar waters. They are found from
the intertidal zone down to abyssal
depths, 6,000 m (20,000 ft) below

 . The aboral or upper surface may be

smooth, granular or spiny, and is
covered with overlapping plates

 The fossil record for starfish is

ancient, dating back to the
Ordovician around 450 million years
ago, but it is rather poor, as starfish
tend to disintegrate after death

 Only the ossicles and spines of the

animal are likely to be preserved,
making remains hard to locate

 Two specific environmental

requirements dominate seaweed
ecology.

 As a result, seaweeds most

commonly inhabit the littoral zone
and within that zone more frequently
on rocky shores than on sand or
shingle.

 Seaweeds are consumed by coastal people,

particularly in East Asia, e.g., Brunei, Japan,
China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand,
Burma, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and also in
South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Belize, Peru,
Chile, the Canadian Maritimes, Scandinavia,
South West England,[6] Ireland, Wales, California,
Philippines, and Scotland

 Seaweeds are also harvested or

cultivated for the extraction of
alginate, agar and carrageenan,
gelatinous substances collectively
known as hydrocolloids or
phycocolloids

Seaweed has a variety of

purposes, for which it is farmed[3]
or foraged from the wild.[4]