“Radiant beauty, Predator of the ocean floor, Many sprawling legs.

Sunflower Seastars are one of the largest, quickest and most voracious predators that roam the ocean floor. Their expandable stomach ejects from the middle of their body to engulf their meal whole and spit out the hard parts when finished. Many animals that are preyed upon by this sea star have evolved survival mechanisms to escape the grasp of its tube feet such as scallops clapping their shells together to quickly swim away.”

Danielle An, Vascular Plant and Algae Herbarium Assistant at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.