Sunflower star

This looks familiar

Sunflower starfish are among the largest and fastest sea stars. They grow anywhere between 15 to 25 arms or “rays.”  One of the four sunflower stars in the National Zoo’s invertebrate exhibit has 16—the same number as the Smithsonian sunburst logo! Sunflower stars can move a meter per minute and are highly predatory. They eat anything they can catch, from urchins to other sea stars to clams and oysters and scallops.  They can grow up to a meter in diameter—which is about the size of the one in the photo.

Photo by Mehgan Murphy

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