Slime Star (Pteraster tesselatus)

I had to include this little fellow just because

a) he's so cute and

b) he can do something kind of gross.

The name 'slime star' is a bit of a nickname, the more common name is the cushion star. They can be found in rocky habitat from Japan to North America the Bering Sea to Monterey Bay, California. Generally subtidal, they are usually found at depths between 9 and 435 m (30 and 1,400 feet) but in some areas you may find them in more shallow waters. Fairly small for a starfish, they reach about a 12 cm radius (~ 4.5 inches) and occasionally larger. The slime star is kind of cute because it is short and squat. It has 5 chubby little rays and a slightly elevated central pore on its surface. It kind of looks like an outie belly button. They show some variation in colour, from yellow to tan and grey and may even be checkered or show some other really cool patterns. The ones that usually catch my eye are the bright orange ones.

OK, so that covers why I think they are cute...but why are they gross? Well, this is the invertebrate counterpart to the hagfish and it comes by its nickname honestly. They secrete a copious amount of thick gelatinous slime as a protection against fish and other predators. Here's a cool trick if you are feeling like terrorizing a poor little starfish for a moment or two without doing any real harm. If you find one of these guys, pick it up and just hold it flat on your hand for a few moments. You will see the mucous start to ooze out of the pore on its topside. Interestingly, when you place it back in the water, the starfish will float for a bit as its density has changed due to the mucous secretion. Just don't do this if there are any hungry seagulls of crows nearby or you will have condemned the poor little guy to an unhappy fate.

(by the way, that's NOT water running off this starfish, that's good old fashioned SLIME!)

How COOL is THAT?!?

What do they eat? They have been seen eating sponges.

Last growth spurt on February 12, 2008