Blue sea star
Linckia laevigata
Red Cushion Sea Star
Oreaster reticulatus
About
The red cushion sea star is a heavy, thick-armed giant among sea stars, often spotted resting in the open on sand and seagrass beds. It is the largest sea star found in its range.
- Depth
- up to 69 m
How to tell it apart
Many sea stars have thin, tapering arms. This species is unmistakable by its heavy, cushion-like body and thick, rounded arms studded with blunt bumps, unlike the flatter, spinier stars nearby.
Appearance
It has a broad, cushioned disc with five thick arms, though some have four, six, or seven. The upper surface is hard and studded with blunt spines. Adults are red, orange, yellow, or brown, while young sea stars are greenish-brown with mottled markings that help them hide in seagrass.
Habitat
Found in shallow water across the western Atlantic and the Caribbean, down to about 69 m. Adults rest on sandy bottoms and coral rubble, while young ones stay hidden in seagrass meadows.
Behaviour
It feeds by raking up sediment, turning part of its stomach inside out over the pile, and digesting whatever algae, sponges, and small animals it contains. In winter it moves offshore to calmer water to avoid rough surf.
Did you know?
At breeding time it can gather in crowds of up to fourteen sea stars per square metre, boosting the odds that eggs and sperm released into the water meet.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
