sea star: Reproduction

Sea stars shed their eggs and sperm into the water, and fertilization occurs externally, producing a swimming, bilaterally symmetrical larva. The larva settles and undergoes a sessile (attached) period while metamorphosing into the free-living, radially symmetrical adult form. A single female may produce over 2 million eggs in one spawn, but the eggs and larvae form part of the plankton on which many marine animals feed, and few survive.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Classification
• Reproduction
• Predation
• Sensory Tentacles
• Tube Feet

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