This seastar is an active predator of snails, bivalves, barnacles, and small chitons. It is not feeding on the anemones it straddles here. Diameter about 45 cm. Depth 18 m.
Often found in sand, rocky crevices, and kelp holdfasts. They entrap plankton with sticky secretions on their arms. Sometimes aggregate in huge numbers.These collected individuals were photographed in our lab. Disc diam. 18 mm.
This closeup of a juvenile Pisaster was taken to show details of the seastar's dorsal surface. Blue rings surround pink spines, and tiny yellow pincers, pedicellariae, encircle the rings. Skin gills protrude from dark recesses.
Photographed at 20 m depth. To feed, this sea cucumber sequentially places one arm with it's sticky tentacles and entrapped planktonic material within the mouth, licks off the food, extends the arm, and then repeats the process.