Starfish as Carnivores

Carnivores: Animals that prey on other animals for a living. The first thing most people think of when they hear the word “carnivore” is one of the big cats, such as a lion or tiger. Bears also come to mind. Those with a more aquatic disposition may think of orca whales, while others may be quick to realize that the dogs and cats they share their abode with are just as much carnivore as that polar bear cruising the white void for a tasty seal pup (who will also grow up to be a carnivore).

Not all carnivores come with backbones, though. For example, consider parasites like ticks and worms, which have taken carnivorism to new heights (or depths, if you prefer) with parasitism. Spiders are pure carnivore. And the lowly starfish is definitely carnivore with no backbone.

As a rule, in order to be successful, carnivores need to learn to be sneaky. For many animals the sneakiness takes the form of crouching, hiding, staying downwind, and learning to be quiet and patient. For other animals, the sneakiness takes the form of the offer of a free lunch. The angler fish has a little worm-like protuberance that it makes wiggle and dance to attract other fish to it’s open mouth, while the snapping turtle’s tongue also looks like a little wriggling worm (though woe to the minnow that enters that cavern to check out the tasty looking denizen). Even our friend the starfish uses an element of sneakiness, though its finesse isn’t quite on the order of some of the higher beasts. Clinging to the underside of a rock or to a similarly colored coral, a starfish may not be immediately visible, aiding it both in survival and hunting. Scallops can jet away if alarmed, and even clams can dig their way to safety, so the starfish has to use slow, steady movements to creep up on it’s dinner so as not to prematurely disturb it.

For a starfish, all this activity is literally brainless. Starfish have no central organ that serves as a brain in their nervous system, but instead just have a “nerve ring” that circles their center and radiates out nerves to each of the its arms. Their hunting activity isn’t pre-meditated, but simply hard-wired into their simple system.

The characteristics of carnivores are what make dogs and cats such good companions. They are smart, they tend towards cleanliness (since their scent would scare away potential prey), and they’re happy with kibbles and don’t need acres of land to graze on. Watching Kitten pounce on her furry mice or chase after her half-sized tennis ball or kick up a spray of litter from her litter box, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that these play activities stem from behaviors that make cats some of the most efficient killers of the animal system. Pets learn to take their “skills” and turn them into companion appropriate behavior.

Starfish, however, will never raise themselves to companion status. They hunt thoughtlessly, and specialize on easy targets like oysters, which cannot run from them. They will never be anything other than an animal that preys on other animals for a living. Were a starfish endowed with a brain, would it learn? Could it act differently? I don’t know. But recent evidence I’ve seen indicates they’d remain starfish. Sometimes the presence of a brain does not indicate higher-order status on the evolutionary scale.