10 Kinds of Starfish You Can Find In California Waters( A Fascinating Look)

Did you know? There are over 2,000 species of sea stars. Starfish live in the ocean at depths up to 6 km. The average sea star has five arms, but some species can have more, ranging from 10 to 40.They can regenerate lost limbs. The oldest known sea star was estimated to be around 35 years old.

California’s waters are rich with hundreds of starfish, making it a beautiful spot for snorkeling and diving. In California waters, you can find different kinds of starfish. Each adds a unique touch, from the California Sun Star to the Spiny Red Star.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the most beautiful 10 “kinds of starfish” ,With pictures, details, and pathways, where can you can find them in California?

California sea star species, include

The California Sun Star, Ochre Sea Star, The Leather Star, Sunflower Sea Star, Bat Star, The Rose Star, Giant Sea Star, Pink Sea Star, Spiny Sand Star, Spiny Sea Star, Morning Sun Star

As a marine biologist, I have researched them well. Just Read on. You won’t get bored.

California Sun star (Rathbunaster californicus)

• Type: Echinoderm
• Size: Up to 45 cm (18 inches) in diameter
• Depth: 60 to 1,000 meters (200 to 3,300 feet)
• Habitat: Muddy seafloor from southern Alaska to southern California

Diet

Scavenger and predator. Different kinds of starfish eat various things via its mouth, including dead or decaying animals (scavenging), small crabs, amphipods, worms, krill, shrimp, and other crustaceans (predation), They are good decomposers of the ocean.

Spines

• The California sun star has tiny spines on its upper surface. These spines are not specifically used to lure prey but may help it capture small organisms that come into contact with it.

Regeneration

• Like different kinds of starfish, the California sun star can regenerate lost arms. This is a helpful adaptation for surviving injuries.

Ecological Importance

• The California sun star is an important part of the ecosystem along the West Coast of the United States. It is particularly abundant in Monterey Canyon.

• By feeding on dead organisms and controlling populations of other animals, the California sun star helps to recycle nutrients and maintain a healthy balance in the deep sea environment.
• You can read my other blog about decomposers of the ocean, explained in detail.

2. Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster Ochraceus)

Body

Most adult ochre sea stars have five arms, but some individuals may have more or less.

Upper Surface

Covered in short spines or bumps. These spines are not arranged in a specific net-like structure but can help with identification based on size and density.

Growth

Up to 14 inches (35 cm) in diameter.

Coloration

 It varies from purple to orange, reddish to brown, or yellowish. The underside is usually pale.

Habitat

Rocky intertidal zones (between high and low tide marks) down to 90 meters (300 feet) depth. They feed primarily on mussels and barnacles.

Distribution

Found along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California.

Keystone Species

The Ochre Sea Star is indeed a keystone species. The experiment by Robert Paine in 1966 demonstrated how their presence affects the entire ecosystem.

When removed, the mussel population exploded, smothering other organisms that relied on the rocky surfaces. This highlights the Ochre Sea Star’s vital role in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

3.The Leather Star (Dermasterias imbricata) Unique Smelling starfish

Anatomy and Appearance

The Leather Star possesses a large, smooth central disc with five short, plump arms that taper towards the tips. These arms lack marginal plates and have two rows of tube feet on the underside.

Surface Characteristics

The upper surface of the Leather Star is smooth and lacks spines, but it is covered with a thin layer of mucus. The body’s upper side features a reticulated pattern of reddish-brown patches and greyish-blue hues. It does not have pedicellariae but does possess a madreporite.

Distinctive Odor

The Leather Star produces a strong odor resembling sulfur, garlic, or burnt gunpowder.

Habitat and Distribution

Geographical Range

Different kinds of starfish like leather starfish live on the west coast of North America, from Alaska to northern Mexico, including Cook Inlet.

Depth Range

The Leather Star inhabits the intertidal zone down to depths of 328 feet (100 meters).

Diet and Feeding Habits

Its diet consists of sea cucumbers, sponges, crustaceans, algae, asteroids (sea stars), sea urchins, bryozoans (moss animals), hydroids (colonial cnidarians), sea pens (soft corals), and even other starfish like the Morning Star.

Predation

Despite its fearfulness and escape speed of 15 cm per minute, the Morning Star can make up to 50% of the Leather Star’s diet.

Symbiosis with Scaleworm

The Leather Star lives in a symbiotic relationship with the scaleworm. This worm also associates with various other marine invertebrates.

4. Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia Helianthoides)

Overview

The sunflower sea star is the most prominent sea star to survive in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Its arms measure about 1 meter or 3.3 feet in length. Adults typically have 16 to 24 limbs, exhibiting a variety of colors.

Diet and Feeding Habits

This big sea animal primarily preys on other sea creatures, such as sea urchins, clams, and small invertebrates. It can consume both dead and live organisms.

Population Decline and Endangerment

In 2013, the population began to decline due to a wasting syndrome disease caused by a bacterial pathogen. The IUCN Red List classified them as critically endangered. 

Remarkable Characteristics

Sunflower sea stars are remarkable for their arm length and weight, which can reach up to 5 kg. In terms of weight and size, they rank as the second-largest starfish. Their powerful, sucker-covered bodies, resembling fleshy skeletons, help protect internal organs.

Historical Abundance and Recent Decline

Sea stars were once abundant in the Northeast Pacific, from Alaska to Southern California, including Puget Sound, British Columbia, Northern California, and Southern Alaska.

However, between 2013 and 2015, tiny germs caused a sickness called sea star wasting, which afflicted these sea stars. The warmer waters exacerbated the situation. 

The population drastically declined in areas like California and Oregon, and near Washington, almost all disappeared from deep waters.

Conservation Status

In 2020, the species was declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

5. Bat Star (Patiria miniata)

The bat star, also known as the sea bat, broad disk star, or webbed star, belongs to the Asterinidae family. It has five arms, though sometimes it can have nine short triangular arms. The central disc exhibits radial symmetry and tube feet aid in movement. The central disc is longer than its arms. Colors vary from green, purple, and red to orange, yellow, and brown. It’s called the bat star because of its webbing in the arms, resembling bat wings.

Habitat and Distribution

Bat stars are found in the intertidal zone up to 300 meters deep. Their habitat ranges from Sitka, Alaska, to Baja California in the Pacific Ocean. They are abundant along the coast of central California and Monterey Bay.

Physiology and Behavior

Bat stars breathe through gill-like structures on their bodies, which aid in respiration. They lack pincers but have visual sensors capable of detecting light.

Bat stars eat plants and animals, whether alive or dead. They catch their food and turn it into a liquid so they can soak up all the nutrients.

Reproduction

Reproduction occurs via spawning, with males releasing sperm and females releasing eggs. Each has pores at the base, releasing sperm and eggs throughout the year. The sperm and eggs unite in the sea and are carried by ocean currents. Spawning occurs in winter and spring.

When bat stars meet, they sometimes have a gentle fight that looks like wrestling. They push each other and put their arms on one another. Polychaete worms form a commensal symbiosis when they groove into the mouth of the bat sea star. Around 20 worms can live there without harming the bat star.

Impacts on Humans

Bat stars can affect people in good and bad ways. On the good side, scientists can learn from their long breeding times to study how animals grow inside eggs. Also, bat stars eat lots of tiny creatures, which can help keep their numbers in check.

But on the wrong side, bat stars and people both like to eat things like oysters. When there are too many bat stars, they might eat too many oysters, which can cause problems for oyster beds.

6.Giant Sea Star (Pisaster Giganteus)

Overview

The Giant Sea Star, also known as the Giant Spined Star or Knobby Sea Star, has five arms, but sometimes more. It is the fourth-largest sea star and possesses a remarkable ability for regeneration.

Distribution

They inhabit the waters of North America, from Southern California and British Columbia, spanning from Vancouver Island to Isla Cedros in Baja California.

Habitat and Survival

Low tide is a feasible environment for their survival, where mollusks and other crustaceans are their prey. They can survive in waters as deep as 88 meters or 289 feet.

Physical Characteristics

Giant Sea Stars can grow up to 24 inches or 61 cm in size, with colors ranging from brown to red or even purple. Their bodies feature long, wide arms, with a brown upper surface and thick, blunt spines.

These spines may have bluish, white, pink, or purple tips and a swollen upper fuzz. Their pedicellariae are bluish in hue and possess a plier shape.

Defense Mechanisms

They utilize their pedicellariae for self-defense.

Preferred Habitat

In terms of habitat, they typically remain attached to rocks or in sandy areas. Coastal lines and lower tides are preferred locations.

Predators

Predators of the Giant Sea Star include sea otters and sea birds. Their larvae are also preyed upon by sea snails.

Keeping as Pets

Giant Sea Stars can be fed barnacles, gastropods, bivalves, and limpets if kept as pets. However, it’s important to note that these organisms are complex to find and manually feed to your pet. 

Therefore, it’s advisable to keep them in their natural habitat.

7. Pink Sea Star (Pisaster brevispinus) 

Classification

• Scientific name: Pisaster brevispinus
• Common names: Pink Sea Star, Giant Pink Sea Star, Short-spined Sea Star

Discovery and Habitat

• Discovered by William Stimson in 1857
• It is found in the northeast Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to southern California, including specific locations like Puget Sound and San Francisco Bay.
• Prefer shallow waters, bays, harbors with sandy or muddy bottoms (seabeds)
• It can be found on bottoms and pilings but not typically in open areas deeper than 18 meters.

Physical Characteristics

• Five thick arms with a central disc
• Among the most prominent sea stars
• Diameter ranges from 33 cm (13 inches) to 90 cm (35 inches)
• Pink or lavender color with gray shading on the upper surface
• Madreporite is present on the upper surface for filtering water
• Tube feet on the underside are used for locomotion and feeding

Diet and Predation

• Carnivores feeding on bivalves like cockles, clams, and horse clams
• Use tube feet to dig for buried prey
• Evert their mouth and secrete digestive fluids to consume prey within their shells.

Reproduction

• Spawn in spring and summer

Points

• Sensitive to changes in water salinity
• Cannot tolerate being out of water for extended periods.

8.Spiny Sand Star (Astropecten armatus)

The Spiny Sand Star, scientifically known as Astropecten armatus and locally referred to as “estrella de arena,” belongs to the Astropectinidae family. They prefer sandy and gravelly areas for survival. Since we are discussing the California starfish, California and Ecuador are places where you can spot them. They are dorsally flattened in structure and possess a smooth surface. They can grow to a diameter of about 17cm or 7 inches.

Their structure is pentamerous, with tips slightly pointed upwards. Eyes are located at the tips.

Why are they called spiny sand stars?

1. Their arm margins are covered with spines inclined upwards.
2. They possess long tube feet under the body that aid in filtration.
3. As depicted in the picture, they are lighter in color than the rest of the body. This helps them bury themselves in the sand, where they live.
4. They are called sand stars because they inhabit sandy bottoms.
5. Their spines and coloration help them camouflage and bury themselves in the sand to avoid predators.

9.Spiny Sea Star (Poraniopsis Inflata)

Poraniopsis or the spiny sea star belongs to sthe tarfish family of paranoidae. they inhabit in the Pacific Ocean and in the deep water of southeastern Alaska, San Diego off the North America, California.

They have an inflated body with five short arms that grow to a diameter of 16 cm or 6.3 inches. The aboral surface has short spines in a conical shape and white tips. Skin color is orange, sometimes brownish white or white with violet.

Suppose we talk about their eating habits; they mainly feed on sponges. They are found in substrates where rocks are abundant, especially in the Monterey region.

1O. Morning Sun Star (Solaster dawsoni)

Morning Sun star live in the ocean from Alaska to California. They found in shallow areas and deep waters up to 1400 feet down.

Body

They usually have 8 to 14 arms, which is more than most other sea stars. If attacked, they can drop an arm to escape and grow it back later.

Color

They can be red, orange, brown, yellow, or purple.

Special features

Their body is soft and bendy. This helps them eat big food.

Food

They eat other sea animals like sea urchins and even other sea stars.

Moving

They use tiny tube feet under their body to move, but they’re not very fast.

Size

They can grow up to 12 inches across, about as big as a dinner plate.

Job in the Ocean

They eat other animals, but they don’t control sea urchins as much as bigger sea stars do.

Problems they face

Like other sea stars, they can get sick from a disease that makes them melt. Changes in the ocean can also hurt them. This sea star is different from other types, even if they look similar.

FAQs( Frequently Asked Questions)

Conclusion

Kinds of starfish live in California’s oceans. We learned about 10 types. They come in different colors and sizes. Some live in shallow water, some deep. Starfish help keep the ocean healthy. Some are in danger. We need to protect them. At the beach, look at starfish but don’t touch. This keeps them safe in their home.