Sunflower Seastar

Sunflower Sea Star -- (Pycnopodia helianthoides)

The sunflower sea star is a common resident of kelp forests within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and is the largest sea star in the world, growing up to 3 feet in diameter from arm to arm. This creature can possess anywhere between 16 and 24 arms with 15,000 tube feet for locomotion. They are also the fastest sea star in the world, traveling up to 3 feet per minute. Sunflower stars are efficient hunters and commonly feed upon urchins, clams, snails, abalone, sea cucumbers, crabs, other sea stars, and in Monterey Bay, they will feed upon dead or dying squid.

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Science & Technology

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• Sunflower
• Sea
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• Pycnopodia
• helianthoides
• Monterey
• Bay
• National
• Marine
• Sanctuary
• NOAA
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• diving
• SCUBA
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