Sea Creatures

Necklace Sea Star

A necklace sea star nestles among the C-shaped emerald tentacles of anchor coral in the western Pacific Ocean.

Maldives Sea Star

A red-and-yellow necklace sea star clings to a sea fan in the Maldives.

Ochre Sea Star

An ochre sea star (background) shares a kelp-strewn beach with a bright-red cousin at low tide on Washington’s Tongue Point.

Purple Sea Star

A sea star with vibrant purple coloring rests on an ocean floor.

Neon Urchins

A nontoxic dye highlights water currents surrounding sea urchins (Astropyga sp.) off Vancouver Island, British Columbia. These small, spiny echinoderms are found in oceans all over the world.

Calico-Patterned Sea Star

The white dorsal plates of this sea star, photographed in the western Pacific Ocean, give it a calico pattern that helps it blend with its rocky surroundings.

Fire Urchin

The spines of a fire urchin (Asthenosoma varium) form a multicolored flower off Komodo Island, Indonesia. The blue swellings on the tip of each spine are filled with venom.

Sea Star and Crab

A small crab skitters across a brilliantly colored blue sea star in the western Pacific Ocean.

Sea Urchin Spines

Found in the western Pacific, this sea urchin’s blue-green spines branch out like tendrils from a plant. The long, movable spines protect the urchin from predators.

Sea Star Pair

Ochre sea stars, like this pair in Burnaby Narrows on the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, are normally purple but can adapt a wide variety of colors depending on individual habitat.

Solomon Islands Sea Star

A necklace sea star rests on a reef in the Solomon Islands. Subspecies of this striking sea star are identified by differences in the plates that cover their dorsal side.