One sea animal that every kid loves, the starfish. While the starfish is also recognized as “sea stars”, there are about 2000 species of starfish in the world’s ocean. Additionally, it also makes a magical surprise for many about their regenerating capabilities. Luckily, we may come across a couple of starfish in our life if ever get along the seacoasts. There are many starfish in the depths of the ocean that are simply mesmerizing in terms of look. However, there are counterparts too that may seem that the creature is not a starfish at all. This may sound a bit strange.
So, what are the ten strangest and bizarre starfish in the world? Let’s check out.
10. Pacific Blood Star
Pacific blood star is a bizarre-looking starfish found along the Pacific coast of North America. Technically recognized as “Henricia leviuscula”, the pacific blood star is mostly bright orange-red in color. Some of the specimens may have a gray body color.
What makes the starfish bizarre is their smooth body? Of course, the pacific blood stars have a smooth body that makes them stand unique on this list.
Additionally, their body is relatively small with an average diameter of 8 cm. Their primary diets are sponges and small bacteria. Further, the starfish is known to reside at a depth of 400 meters at low-tide conditions.
9. Giant Spined Star
Giant spined star is a beautiful yet strange looking starfish found in the western coast of North America from Southern California until British Columbia.
The starfish can resemble as thought small bulbs are implanted on the body. Further, the body color can range either brown, red, or purple. Giant spined stars are large species of starfish that are known to grow up to 61 cm in length.
Additionally, they don’t reside too deep into the ocean as they can be found even at 88 m. An interesting fact to note that the giant spined stars are bilaterally symmetrical right from their larval stage.
8. Bat Star
Bat star is a strange starfish found in abundance along the coast of Central California and the Monterey Bay. Also considered as “sea bat”, “webbed star”, or “broad-disk star”, the bat star basically consists of five arms.
But they can be found with up to nine arms as well. The central disk is sturdy and consists of webbing between its arms. Due to this, the bat stars got the name “webbing stars”.
The bat stars reside at a depth of 300 meters in the intertidal zone. The starfish’s body color ranges either green, purple, orange, red, yellow, or brown. Further, the name comes after the starfish’s appearance as that of a bat’s wings.
7. Sunflower Sea Star
The sunflower sea star is an unusual starfish found in the northeast Pacific. Technically known as “pycnopodia helianthoides”, the sunflower sea star is a large variant of sea stars. An adult can incredibly grow up to 1 meter in diameter. This makes the starfish species the second-largest starfish by size in the world.
Additionally, the sunflower sea stars are a huge predator in its range. They can catch hold of any small invertebrates, clams, and sea urchins around them as part of their diet. Most of the picture evidence reveals their color ranging from bright orange, yellow, red to brown.
However, their body color varies depending on the zones they reside under the seawater. Finally, the sunflower sea star’s population has declined drastically since 2013.
6. Crown-of-thorns Starfish
Crow-of-thorns starfish is a venomous starfish commonly found in the Australia. Additionally, the starfish species can be seen spread in tropical and subtropical of Red Sea and the east Africa.
The starfish becomes weird due to unusual thrones all over its body. The upper surface of the body consists of venomous spines. An adult crown-of-thorns starfish grows up to 35 cm in length.
The horn-like spines when pierced on human skin can cause irritation, swelling, and nausea-like symptoms. The swelling can persist in the victim’s affected area for over a week. The starfish cannot live outside water and tends to die as a result of leak outs of body fluid. They tend to flatten as a result and the body collapses.
5. Leather Star
Leather star is a stunningly bizarre starfish found in the deep sea off the western seaboard of North America. At first glance, the starfish can resemble a perfect alien.
Leather stars are known to grow up to 30 cm in diameter. Additionally, they consist of five plump, short arms, and a broad central disc. A unique factor of the starfish is that they smell similar to garlic and Sulphur. Further, leather stars are found in rocky bottoms and sandy seabeds.
The distribution of their kind can as well be seen in the depth of northern Mexico, Cook Inlet, and Alaska. The body color is generally reddish-brown with blue patches.
4. Brittle Star
Brittle star is a weird starfish found in the deep waters at a depth greater than 200 meters. The distribution of this starfish species can be seen equally in all major marine provinces. The brittle stars consist of five long whip-like arms that can grow up to 60 cm in length.
Also recognized as “orphiuroids”, there are about 2000 species of their kind living today. On average, a brittle star lives up to 5 years and can grow fully in a span of three to four years. Further, it has the tendency to regrow lost arms with immediate effect.
However, the starfish species tend to lose the regeneration tendency once all arms are lost. While considering the interaction with humans, the brittle stars are not known to be dangerous. They are not venomous or contain any toxins. They tend to escape when provoked to catch.
3. Brisingida Starfish
Brisingida starfish is an unusual starfish species found in the deep sea. The starfish is known to reside primarily in the deep-sea Caribbean and New Zealand. Additionally, the arms of the starfish are very different, which is attenuated.
An adult brisingida starfish consists of about 18 such long arms. The attenuated arms of the starfish help them in suspension feeding. Further, the brisingida stars also have about 20 spiny arms that are completely bizarre at first glance.
While they are very rare to be spotted, perfect surfing in deep-sea at a depth of about 2.4 km in the Caribbean and New Zealand will be required to spot them.
2. Morning Sun Star
Morning sun star is a strange-looking starfish found on either side of the northern Pacific Ocean. Technically, the morning sun star is also called as “solaster dawnsoni”.
If you notice closely, the starfish has long tapering arms that can grow up to 40 cm in width. Additionally, the morning sun stars consist of about 13 long arms that make it incredibly strange to watch.
Their body surface is smooth. The body color can range either red, orange, grey, or brown depending on the species. Something interesting to note that the starfish is a real predator. They tend to feed on other starfish, especially leather stars.
Most of the instances, other starfish tend to flee the spot if morning stars are near them. Leather stars fall for their prey as they tend to move at a very low pace.
1. Pincushion Star
Is becomes a question if the pincushion star is really a starfish. Pincushion star is a bizarre starfish that resemble a pentagonal pincushion. There is no specific color range for this starfish and can be seen in varying color range.
Additionally, the pincushion stars can be found in tropical warm waters in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. A mature specimen grows up to 30 cm in size and can resemble a puffed cushion ball.
Further, the pincushion stars consist of five broad arms and are slightly star-shaped. The body color ranges either dark or light shades of brown, orange, yellow, or green. Further, they feed on stony corals and small invertebrates.