15 Surprising Types Of Starfish You Should See

Starfish are also known as the stars in the sea. This is because they are an alluring, resilient, and amazing part of the ocean wildlife. Starfish are also perceived by many as the 5-armed species, and it comes in different colors, sizes, shapes, and even arm counts. What’s more interesting is that there are 2,000 species of starfish in the ocean. Some starfish can be found along the shorelines, and others are found on deep-sea surfaces. 

Perhaps you want to know more about different starfish types found in the ocean. That’s why in today’s blog, you will get an idea about the different types of starfish and know why they’re bizarre and beautiful. 

Amazing Types of Starfish

Other than their fascinating appearance, starfish may affect the marine ecosystem. Here are 15 surprising types of starfish you should see and never miss. 

Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) 

Sunflower sea star is known for its impressive arm span that reaches about 1 meter. It is the ocean’s largest popular starfish species. In addition, it has around 16-24 limbs that make Sunflower Sea star efficient predators. 

At around 15,000 tube tiny feet located under their bodies, this starfish can move very fast and catch its prey, eat clams, sea urchins, and even other starfishes. Furthermore, the Sunflower Sea star can be found in the Northern East part of the Pacific, full of seaweeds and kelp. 

Leather Star (Dermasterias imbricata)

Leather starfish are usually found along the West Coast part of North America. These starfish live in the intertidal zones down to depths that may reach 300 feet. It eats everything, from sponges to algae to sea cucumbers. Furthermore, the Leather star does its best to avoid and prevent the Morning sun star, which is believed to be a common predator. 

Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata)

One of the common starfish you can find in the Great Barrier Reef is a Blue starfish. It has a big chance to regenerate its own body. The color of this starfish may depend. It may turn blue, purple, or even bright blue. The feet come in a pale yellow color and are short. Since the feet are short, the Blue starfish can only move slowly. 

Furthermore, this type of starfish is often sold and dried for decoration and ornament purposes. 

Pink Sea Star (Pisaster brevispinus)

The pink sea star is believed to reach a large 2 feet in diameter and weigh up to 2 pounds. This starfish is known for its bubblegum-pink color, and you may see a resemblance to Patrick the Star from the famous show “Spongebob Squarepants.” Furthermore, the Pink Sea Star eats clams and sand dollars, and it’s found in mud or sand. 

Necklace Starfish (Fromia monilis) 

Necklace starfishes are like jewels. This is one of the most striking species of Echinoderm. Its characteristics include a covered-in eye that catches dots in all sizes and shapes and an intricate marbled body. 

This starfish lives in depth up to fifty meters in the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Furthermore, the Necklace starfish comes with a vibrant red color to let them ward off their prey. 

Granulated Sea Star (Choriaster granulatus)

It usually comes in many nicknames; the doughboy star, cushion sea star, big-plated sea star, and more that refer to its characteristics. 

It is the only species in the Choriaster. It’s also unique because of its puffy appearance that can only be found in shallow waters on rubber slopes and coral reefs, where it eats coral polyps, algae, and even dead animals. 

Bat Sea Star (Asterina miniata) 

One of the fascinating starfish species is the Bat Sea Star, mainly because of its bat wings resemblance found between its arms. You can find this along the West Coast of North American. And while the Bat Sea Star only has five arms, it can usually have up to 9, and it may occur in different colors like orange, green, and purple. 

Pacific Blood Star (Henricia leviuscula) 

Named after its red-orange color, the Pacific Blood star is the most popular starfish found along the Pacific coast of Northern America. These starfish can be found at a depth of more than one thousand feet. However, it’s very tiny, at about 10” in diameter, making them only eat bacteria and sponges. 

Royal Starfish (Astropecten articulatus)

It got its name from its indulgent gold and purple color. The Royal Starfish is known for its brilliant hued species found on the east coast of North America. It can leave up to seven hundred feet and hangs around seventy to one hundred feet deep, where they could eat plenty of mollusks. 

Chocolate Chip Starfish (Protoreaster Nodosus)

This starfish can be found in the waters of Eastern Indonesia, like the Solomon Islands and Raja Ampat. It can thrive in sandy and shallow areas, but it can also live on coral reefs up to thirty meters deep. 

Giant-Spined Star (Pisaster giganteus)

This starfish is like pretty white, pink, or even purple beads. These starfishes help in protecting animal predators, like birds and sea otters. It can reach up to 2 feet in diameter and can be found in rocky parts of the West Coast, Northern America, during low tides. 

Australian Southern Sand Star (Luidia australiae)

The Australian Southern Sand Star camouflaged in the sediment of the seagrass beds in oceans around New Zealand and Australia. It comes with seven arms, and it can thrive around 16 inches in diameter. Furthermore, it can be found on beaches after storms. 

Pincushion Starfish (Culcita novaeguineae)

You can find this starfish in tropical waters in the Indo-Pacific. This one is unique because its appearance is not the same as any type of starfish. It could create its shelter on its own and can provide a habitat for copepods and small shrimps.

Brittle Star (Ophiuroidea)

This starfish can be found in the One Tree Island on the southern parts of the Great Barrier Reef. It is known for its bioluminescent quality, which only means that it can emit light from its body. Its arms are long and can thrive up to sixty centimeters. Furthermore, they appear to be thin, but the arms can keep moving around places. 

Red Starfish (Fromia indica)

This Red starfish is known for its striking red color. The body is covered with tiny black dots that are also present on each tip of the arms. It’s very sensitive because it can’t withstand sudden changes in seawater. Furthermore, this starfish is known to be peaceful and only eat algae. 

Takeaway 

Although there are a lot of types of starfish that exist in the ocean, these species are considered to be near threatened and endangered. The recent decline of their population is already showing some impact on the biodiversity of marine life. Regardless of how many thousands of species the starfish has, what is important right now is that we should take some great step in helping to save them from danger.

You can simply join us here at ATOLEA Jewelry on our campaign to help save marine animals just like the starfish. With every purchase you made from us, part of it goes to Ocean conservation charities. 

Our Ocean-inspired jewelry collections will make you appreciate sea creatures even more. You can also check our Starfish-inspired jewelry and wear your love with these stars of the sea!