The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is
a large, multi-armed predatory starfish found in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.
Growing up to 3 feet (1 meter) wide with 16 to 24 arms and powered by
15,000 tube feet, it is one of the fastest sea stars and plays a key
role in keeping kelp forests healthy by eating sea urchins.
Physical Traits and Speed
- Size: Reaches up to 3 feet across.
- Arms: Starts life with 5 arms and grows up to 24 as an adult.
- Movement: Can travel up to 3 feet per minute (200 feet per hour) using 15,000 tube feet.
- Flexibility: Has a soft, loose skeleton that lets it open its mouth wide to swallow large prey whole
.
- Range: Found from Alaska down to Baja California, Mexico.
- Habitat: Lives in rocky intertidal zones, kelp forests, and mud flats down to 435 meters.
- Prey: Eats sea urchins, clams, snails, and dead animal remains.
- Population Decline: Numbers dropped by over 90% due to a devastating outbreak of sea star wasting syndrome.
- Protection
Status: Proposed for listing as a threatened species under the
Endangered Species Act. Scientists and public groups are actively
working on captive breeding and recovery efforts.
Sunflower Sea Star | NOAA Fisheries
About
the Species * The sunflower sea star occurs throughout intertidal and
subtidal coastal waters of the Northeast Pacific Ocean...
Sunflower star | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Cool
facts * Juvenile sunflower stars start life with five arms—by maturity
they have up to 24 arms. * Most sea stars have a one-p...
YouTube·UW (University of Washington)
Breeding endangered sunflower sea stars
Sunflower Sea Star | Marine Species Report Card | Aquarium of the Pacific
Sunflower
sea stars are found along the eastern Pacific coast from the Aleutian
Islands, Alaska to Baja, Mexico. They inhabit: * R...
- California Ocean Protection Council (.gov)
Bringing Back the Stars: California's Effort to Rescue the Sunflower Sea ...
Meet
the Sunflower Sea Star The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia
helianthoides) is one of the ocean's most remarkable animals. The l...
Bacteria killed billions of sea stars. A Northwest tribe has stepped in to help
Underwater
charisma. Inside the sea star lab, tanks of filtered seawater harbor
hundreds of sunflower stars, from microscopic larv...
Sunflower Seastar: Terrifying Predator? | National Geographic - YouTube
the
sunflower star is a terrifying predator. it's more than 3 ft wide is
replete with 15,000 tube feet and is one of the fastest a...
There's hope for sunflower sea stars, with their killer unmasked and reintroductions pending
Responding
to the crisis In response to the sunflower star's startling demise, the
Pycnopodia Recovery Working Group was formed in...
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