Leather Stars!

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In the tide pools at Haystack Rock, there is a ton of different creatures to discover and fall in love with. Without a doubt, the crowd favorite is ALWAYS a Sea Star (more common known as Starfish). Sea Stars are part of the Echinoderm family, meaning that their closest family is Sea Cucumbers and Sea Urchins.  Worldwide there is approximately 1,600 different species of Sea Stars. At the Rock, the most common species we see is the Ochre Sea Star. These guys come in both orange and purple; and are covered all over in white dots.



On special, unpredictable, days different species of Sea Stars turn up in the tide pools. Today was one of those days...we found a single LEATHER STAR this morning. Leather Stars in rare at Haystack Rock, even though they are considered a common species. They live on the west coast of North America from Alaska to Southern California mostly in rocky shore habitats and sometimes in harbors attaching themselves to pilings. Leather Stars favorite things to eat are Sea Anemones, Sea Cucumbers, and  Purple Sea Urchins. One of the really unique things about these Stars is that they swallow their prey whole and digest them internally, which is different from how other Sea Stars eat.

It was very special to find this creature in the tide pools this morning. Fingers crossed that we get to see more throughout the Summer.



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