Sunflower+Sea+Star

﻿Sunflower Sea Star - //Pycnopodia helianthoides//
 * __﻿Phylum: __** Echinodermata
 * __Class: __** Asteroidea

__**Location: **__ Sunflower Sea Stars are common in the Pacific from Alaska to Southern California


 * __Size: __** Commonly 65 cm radius, but some large jellies reach 1 meter across. They have 24 flexible arms.


 * __Habitat: __** Commonly found on sand or gravel bottoms, and often on dock pilings.

__**Living Requirements: **__ Sunflower stars eat numerous species such as sea urchins, clams, crabs, snails, sea cucumbers, sand dollars, chitons and dead fish. This diet allows the Sunflower Star to feed in various habitats from mud to solid rock. __**Life Cycle: **__ Their life span is around 3 -5 years. They breed between May and June. The female will lay her eggs and they will float on the surface on the water for 2 to 10 weeks. Soon after that they will drift to the bottom and remain there till they form into a mature sea star. The baby sea star start out with only 5 or 6 arms.

__**Interesting Facts: **__ The Sunflower Sea Star is the largest sea star in the world. They can shed their arms if and when needed, and the arm will grow back within a few weeks. They are one of the fastest sea stars. They can move around 18 ft per minute. They have over 15,000 suction cups on the bottom of their feet.

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