Sunflower Sea Star
Pycnopodia helianthoides
Marine Life of the Northeast Pacific (MLNEP) notes 5
Summary 6
Pycnopodia helianthoides, commonly known as the sunflower sea star, is a large sea star found in the northeast Pacific. It is among the largest sea stars in the world (but not quite the largest), with a maximum arm span of 1 m (3.3 ft). Sunflower sea stars usually have 16 to 24 limbs; their color can vary widely. They are predatory, feeding mostly on sea urchins, clams, snails, and other small invertebrates.
Description 7
Sunflower sea stars can grow to have an arm span of 1 m (3.3 ft) in diameter. They are the second-biggest sea star in the world, only second to the poorly known deepwater Midgardia xandaros, whose arm span is 134 cm (53 in) and its body is 2.6 cm (roughly 1 inch) wide, although P. helianthoides is the largest known echinoderm by mass. Their color ranges from bright orange, yellow and red to brown and sometimes to purple, with soft, velvet-textured bodies and 16 to 24 arms with powerful suckers. Most sea star species have a mesh-like skeleton to protect their internal organs.
Fuentes y créditos
- (c) dfopacific, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC), subido por dfopacific
- (c) FlaPack, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/7357887@N04/5093848086
- (c) dloarie, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY), subido por dloarie, http://www.flickr.com/photos/57556735@N08/6087515091
- (c) rebafay, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC), subido por rebafay, http://www.flickr.com/photos/97862725@N00/6796463093
- (c) Shannon Schmunk, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA)
- Adaptado por Shannon Schmunk del trabajo de (c) Wikipedia, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/1277829
- (c) Wikipedia, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_sea_star
