Starfish possess one of the most astonishing regeneration capabilities in the animal kingdom.
These fascinating echinoderms can not only regenerate a lost arm, but in some species, a single arm can regenerate an entire organism if it contains part of the central disc.
This extraordinary regeneration process is due to special cells called totipotent stem cells, which have the ability to transform into any type of cell needed for tissue reconstruction.
The regeneration process follows these steps:
- Formation of a clot to stop the loss of internal fluids
- Migration of stem cells to the damaged area
- Cell differentiation to form new tissues
- Gradual growth of the new arm or structure
Depending on the species and environmental conditions, complete regeneration can take anywhere from several weeks to months. This ability not only serves as a defense mechanism against predators (they can voluntarily shed an arm to escape), but also as a method of asexual reproduction in some species.
Source: Journal of Marine Biology
