Starfish Can See!
Blue, eyed-one A blue sea star in Japan. Anders Garm, University of Copenhagen The phrase "seeing stars" has a whole new connotation: Research suggests that sea stars, a type of five-legged starfish that usually appears blue in color, can see images with the tiny compound eyes at the ends of their legs. The eyes aren't very powerful, however, and unlikely to see things beyond 4 meters (13 feet). But the sea stars can use their vision to navigate toward reef corals, which hadn't previously been shown, according to a study published January 8 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The stars' eyes lack a lens like the compound eyes of insects, cannot process quick movements, and cannot sense colors, so they are unlikely to be used for finding food or...