21 September 2010

Purple and orange starfish


Apparently it's real, because after a search I was able to find one other photo of a similar starfish, listed as Daytona Beach 2004.  Photo credit for this one to TheMarque.

See also this sea star.

Addendum:  A hat tip to Mnkyfuc for identifying this as Astropecten articulatus (described as "very common" at 20-30m depth on the continental shelf off Charleston, S.C.).  More pix at the link.
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13 comments:

  1. Impossibla!
    Looks like some artsy-fartsy Jacques Cousteau tribute!? (Thanks spell czecher)

    Damm I love Your Blog!!

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  2. It is real. It is Astropecten articulatus

    http://oceanica.cofc.edu/TRCH-Echinos/web_Seastars/page01.htm

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  3. Thanx, Mnkyfuc. I've added your info to the post.

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  4. My cousin found some of these at Holden Beach after the last hurricane we had here. But they were already dead when she found them so she didn't harm them. I'd never seen anything like that before, they're beautiful.

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  7. Hi there! I have been trying to figure out what kind of sea star the purple and orange ones are for more than a year, I'm glad I found your blog! Thank you. Here's a link to my blog with a great picture I took of one today. http://evervescence.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/treasures-from-the-sea/

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  8. Excellent. And thank you for throwing it back into the ocean.

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  9. My daugher found one of these on Amelia Island's beach. It looked totally unreal even when I looked at it up close.

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  10. They are purple sand sifting stars. yes they are real. and you can can one at a a pet store for your saltwater aquarium for around 30 dollars

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  11. I found one yesterday on jacksonile beach so I decided to look it up and I seen ur page and thats wat it looks its pretty cool :)

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  12. I found 8 of these beautiful blue and orange starfish washed up on St. Augustine, Florida beach this morning, due to tropical storm Beryl. One was still alive, so I placed her back in the water.

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    Replies

    1. I'm so jealous. One can't be much further from the ocean than in Wisconsin.

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