Tag Archives: Sea Stars

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Sea Stars, also known as Starfish, are being seen in tide pools off the Mendonoma coast. That's good news, because we were losing them to a wasting disease. Patricia Maxwell went to Anchor Bay Beach with her daughter and a friend during a recent low tide. Her daughter, Lauren Hall, took these two photos, which show Ochre Stars, one purple and one orange.

These were two BIG Sea Stars, according to Pat.

Thanks to Lauren for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

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Mark Simkins photographed a Sea Star on the move. It is reaching, perhaps, for a mussel. 

Sea Stars, more commonly called Starfish, move more quickly than you might expect. They have hundreds of tube feet on their undersides. Sea Stars are in the family Asteroidea. They are related to Sand Dollars, Sea Urchins and Sea Cucumbers. 
Low tide is a great time to see some, as Peggy Berryhill photographed above.
Thanks to Mark and Peggy for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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I always save the Independent Coast Observer's tide table and put it on my refrigerator door so I know when the low tides are. Peggy Berryhill keeps her eye on the low tides too. She went out recently and here's what she discovered - beautiful Sea Stars nestled in with mussels.

Sea Stars, often called Starfish, are in the class Asteroidea. There are over 2,000 species of Sea Stars living in the world's oceans. They are closely related to Sea Urchins and Sand Dollars. One strange fact about Sea Stars is that they have no brains and no blood; they use filtered sea water in place of blood.

And when the tide is low, their loveliness is revealed to all.

Thanks to Peggy for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

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Tide pooling is a Coast tradition. The Independent Coast Observer prints a weekly tide table, which I always cut out and put on my refrigerator. At low tide, locals and visitors alike head to the beach. Craig Tooley recently photographed two different Sea Stars, which are sometimes call Star Fish. One Sea Star is on top of a Sea Urchin shell.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see more of Craig's wonderful photography, here's the link to his website: http://ruffimage.com/

To see a photo of a huge Sea Star, the Sunflower, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/03/27/sunflower-seastar-found-at-the-stornetta-public-lands/

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Tide pooling is a Coast tradition. One of the places to tide pool is at Anchor Bay Beach, which is accessed through Anchor Bay Campground. Anchor Bay Beach is a beautiful stretch of sand. And at low tide, there are treasures to be found and photographed, as Michelle Schubert discovered.

Below is an Ochre Sea Star. You can see the star in the middle.

 And here is a Sunflower Sea Star. It looks like it lost one of its arms.

 And a translucent green Jellyfish.

 I love how the Sea Stars, also fondly called Starfish, are draped on the rocks.

Thanks to Michelle for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

To see another photo of a Sunflower Sea Star, this one seen at the Stornetta Public Lands, and learn a little more about them, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/03/27/sunflower-seastar-found-at-the-stornetta-public-lands/

And to see a beautiful wave at AB Beach, here's that link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/01/16/the-pacific-ocean-is-dancing-at-anchor-bay-beach/