This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The sea pen, aka sea pansies, are a cosmopolitan species that can be found in oceans all over the world. These peculiar creatures spend their lives partially dug into the substrate with their feather-like proboscis sticking out and gathering food. These creatures are mostly undocumented with the IUCN. However, the […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The sunflower sea star is among the largest of the known sea stars and also boasts the most arms. They are also potentially the fastest of the sea stars. These stars can be found in the Pacific Ocean from Unalaska Island, in Alaska, down to Baja California. Due to habitat […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The ochre sea star, aka purple sea star, Pacific sea star, or ochre starfish, hails from the Pacific Ocean. These sea stars are what is called a keystone species in that their presence is an indicator of the intertidal zone’s health. These sea stars prefer cold water intertidal zones. Their […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The sand dollar, aka sand cake, cake urchin, or sea biscuit, has been collected as a beach souvenir for the longest time. You’ve probably seen them adorning a wicker basket in someone’s beach-themed bathroom. But did you know that sand dollars look quite different when alive? For instance, the white […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

Being a member of the brittle star taxon, the basket star is certainly 1 of the strangest looking of all the sea stars. They also go by the name “Shetland Argus”. These fascinating critters can typically be found in the deeper parts of most of the world’s oceans. However, they […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The crown-of-thorns sea star, aka “Bula”, is a destructive species that has caused a massive amount of destruction to reefs around tropical lagoons and deep water locations. These sea stars can be found in the Indo-Pacific Region; in places like Japan, the Red Sea, the South Pacific, and Australia. In […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

With approximately 2,000 known species of sea stars (aka starfish) in the world’s oceans, these creatures are well deserving of an article. This is generalized information about sea stars, as a whole. There will be more articles in the future about specific subspecies, like the crown of thorns sea star […]

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