Starfish Starfish Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or "basket stars". 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, below the surface. Starfish are marine invertebrates. They typically have a central disc and five arms, though some species have a larger number of arms. The aboral or upper surface may be smooth,
Tuft-tailed spiny tree-rat Tuft-tailed spiny tree-rat The tuft-tailed spiny tree rat ("Lonchothrix emiliae") is a spiny rat species from South America. It is known from Brazil south of the Amazon River, where it has been found in grassland and gallery forest. It is the only species in the genus Lonchothrix. Very little is known about this rodent. It is small with an average adult weight of about 138 grams. It is nocturnal and solitary in habits. The genus and species were described by Oldfield Thomas in 1920. The genus name "Lonchothrix" derives from the two ancient greek words (), meaning "spear", and ,