Search results
Pycnopodia helianthoides, commonly known as the sunflower sea star, is a large sea star found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. [3] The only species of its genus , it is among the largest sea stars in the world, with a maximum arm span of 1 m (3.3 ft).
About the Species. The sunflower sea star occurs throughout intertidal and subtidal coastal waters of the Northeast Pacific Ocean from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, to at least northern Baja California, Mexico.
26 kwi 2023 · Sunflower sea stars are native to marine waters along the Pacific Coast, from northern Baja California to the central Aleutian Islands.
15 mar 2023 · Sunflower sea stars reach up to 1 meter across from arm tip to arm tip, have up to 20 arms, and range from orange, to red, to purple or beige. Prior to the 2013 outbreak of wasting syndrome, they were one of the most abundant, widespread, and recognizable sea stars on the Pacific Coast.
Pycnopodia helianthoides, the largest of the sea stars, is radially symmetrical. The sunflower star has more arms than any other species, numbering between 15 and 24 (most sea stars have between 5 and 14), and is the heaviest known sea star, weighing about 5 kg.
19 paź 2022 · The species occupies waters from the intertidal to at least 435 m deep and occurs over a broad array of soft-, mixed-, and hard-bottom habitats from the Aleutian Islands, AK, to Baja California, MX.
Amazing Species: Sunflower Sea Star. The Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is among the largest and fastest sea stars in the world, with its 16 to 24 limbs reaching a diameter of up to one metre. It lives along the vast majority of the Pacific coast of North America.
