Today I will be talking about the Chocolate Chip Sea star (Protoreaster nodosus)!🍪 What a sciency name, huh haha? But apparently very, as this was one of the first animals given a formal scientific name back in 1758 by Linneaus himself! These guys are found across the tropical Indo Pacific mainly on the back reef in sandy lagoons and seagrass beds. Their knobby bumps on their aboral (not oral) surface are believed to deter predators, making them hard to swallow. But sadly, it makes them all the more interesting as souvenirs. You have probably seen this sea star before, but not realized it because it was just sitting dried up in a gift shop. They are also common in the aquarium trade, as this little cutie is demonstrating. He was also quiet large and on the upper spectrum of their size range (16 in) according to literature. They can also vary in color from red, white, yellow, brown and even blueish.
If you ever see them when you’re out snorkeling or scuba diving, just let them keep doing their thing... making the ocean floor look pretty AND delicious.
Originally posted 13 October 2019
(pictures of the single sea stars are mine, the other is not)
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