Sunflower Sea Star

At a glance

Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is an IUCN Critically Endangered echinoderm with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.

Confirmed by 4,280 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with British Columbia, Alaska, and Washington the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• The largest sea star in the world, reaching up to 1 meter (3 feet) tip to tip.
• Can develop up to 24 arms — more than any other sea star species.
• Moves at up to 1 meter per minute, making it one of the fastest sea stars on the planet.
• Sea urchins actively flee when they detect the chemical scent of an approaching sunflower sea star.
• Sea star wasting disease caused population declines exceeding 90% across its range after 2013.

Where Sunflower Sea Star are seen

• British Columbia2,016 iNat obs
• Alaska893 iNat obs
• Washington756 iNat obs
• Oregon366 iNat obs
• California249 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Sunflower Sea Star

• OregonUnited States · official source

Background

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…

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Sunflower Sea Star article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.

Other starfish/urchins/cucumbers on CatchRules

• Ochre Sea StarPisaster ochraceus
• Pacific Purple Sea UrchinStrongylocentrotus purpuratus
• Mottled StarEvasterias troschelii
• Orange Sea CucumberCucumaria miniata