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Stars of the Sea exhibit promotional video showing various animals at the Aquarium. Also it is promoting our Whale’s Tale After Party which is June 28, 2025. This video has no sound and shows people enjoying a visit to the Aquarium and close-up images of frogs, fish, octopus, harbor seals and other sea life.
Join the Aquarium of the Pacific in an exploration and celebration of sea stars.
Discover their delicate beauty, fascinating diversity, superhero powers, and the threats that could lead to these stars fading forever.
From the venomous crown-of-thorns and spider-like brittle stars to the highly endangered sunflower sea star, gaze into ocean depths to reveal the true stars of the galaxy. Touch sea stars in our new Our Living Coastline exhibit, featuring a rocky tidepool with two touchpools, multiple peek-through windows, and surging cascades. Learn how you can fuel our groundbreaking research, breeding programs, and recovery efforts to bring the sunflower sea star, the guardian of our kelp forests, back from the brink of extinction.
Meet the Stars
Basket star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Basket star
Gorgonocephalus eucnemis
Basket stars get their name from their branching arms, which are used to catch their food: plankton drifting in the current.
- Basket stars are found in Japan, Siberia, Greenland to Cape Cod, and from north Alaska to Southern California.
- They live in deep sea habitats, while some live in shallow tropical reefs.
Bat star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Bat star
Patiria miniata
These sea stars are omnivores, scavenging on leftover food from other animals, as well as algae.
- Bat stars can be found from Alaska to Baja California.
- They are located in rocky areas close to the shore at a depth of approximately 900 feet.
Blue Linckia Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Blue Linckia star
Linckia laevigata
They feed on the detritus, or debris, in their habitat.
- They can be found in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Blue Linckia sea stars are located in shallow coral reefs.
Crown of thorns sea star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Crown-of-thorns sea star
Acanthaster planci
These sea stars are venomous and a coral-eating species, with few predators.
- This sea star can be found in the Indo-Pacific region.
- The crown-of-thorns sea star lives in coral reefs.
Feather star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Feather star
Comatella stelligera
These sea stars form a part of a group called the crinoids, which are invertebrates that evolved into the sea stars of the present day.
- Feather stars are found in all the world’s oceans, but are most abundant in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
- They are mostly found on rocky bottoms in shallow water.
Giant spined star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Giant-spined sea star
Pisaster giganteus
The adult giant-spined sea star is only eaten by a few larger predators like sea birds and sea otters.
- They can be found in the Eastern Pacific from Vancouver Island, British Columbia to Isla Cedros, Baja California.
- Giant-spined sea stars are found in rocky reefs and kelp forests. They favor rocky bottoms.
Granulated sea star Credit: istock.com/Cheng Chen
Granulated sea star
Choriaster granulatus
A distinguishing feature is their rows of clustered papillae, or small, rounded bumps.
- Granulated sea stars can be found in the Indo-Pacific (Great Barrier Reef, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea), the Red Sea, and East Africa.
- They live in shallow tropical waters in sandy habitats with rubble slopes.
Leather star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Leather sea star
Dermasterias imbricata
Leather sea stars have a mucus that covers their body. Between the mucus and the soft, smooth skin, this sea star feels leathery to the touch.
- Leather sea stars can be found from Alaska to northern Mexico.
- They live in rocky shores, pilings, and sea walls in enclosed harbors. These sea stars prefer low intertidal zones to a depth around 91 meters or 300 feet.
Mottled star Credit: Jordanroderick/wikipedia
Mottled sea star
Evasterias troschelii
The long arms of this sea star are strong enough to pull the shells of a mussel apart.
- Found from the Pribilof Islands in Alaska to the Puget Sound in Washington state.
- These sea stars are found in the intertidal areas with rocks and pebbles and in depths up to 246 feet.
Pacific blood red star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Pacific blood sea star
Henricia leviuscula
Pacific blood stars are omnivores, feeding on sponges, bryozoans, and bacteria.
- These sea stars can be found in Siberia, Japan, and from northern Alaska to northern Mexico.
- They live in intertidal zones under rocks and can be found as deep as 1,320 feet.
Pink sea star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Pink sea star
Pisaster brevispinus
Pink sea stars use their tube feet to dig for food buried under the sand like clams.
- These stars, also known as short-spined stars, can be seen from Alaska to Southern California.
- Pink sea stars are commonly found in subtidal depths – although they have been seen in intertidal zones and as deep as 600 feet.
Rainbow sea star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Rainbow sea star
Orthasterias koehleri
These stars stand out with their unique striped pattern.
- This sea star can be found from Alaska to northern Mexico.
- They live in rocky reefs and intertidal to subtidal zones.
Red Linckia star Credit: istock.com/veliferum
Red Linckia star
Linckia multifora
This species exhibits autotomy, which is when a detached arm can move independently and regenerate its own disk, developing into a completely new sea star.
- The red Linckia star is found throughout tropical waters.
- They favor shallow coral reefs but have been found on the sea floor at 700 feet deep.
Sand star Credit: NOAA
Sand star
Luidia foliolata
Adapted tube feet are along the edges of this sea star’s arms. These tube feet allow the sand star to move across sandy and muddy surfaces.
- Sand stars can be found from central Alaska to Nicaragua and in the Galapagos Islands.
- They are found in soft substrates like sand or mud.
Brittle star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Spiny brittle star
Ophiotrix spiculata
These stars hide under rocks or in crevices during the day and emerge at night to feed.
- Spiny brittle stars can be seen from Northern California to Peru.
- They are found in sandy bottom habitats.
Spiny sand star Credit: Josh Barber / Aquarium of the Pacific
Spiny Sand Star
Astropecten armatus
These sea stars like to bury themselves.
- These sea stars are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean and from San Pedro Bay in California to Ecuador.
- They live in soft sediment, like sand or mud. They can be found between 16 and 377 feet deep.
Juvenile sunflower sea star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Sunflower sea star
Pycnopodia helianthoides
This sea star feeds on sea urchins and other small invertebrates. Their presence regulates the population of sea urchins, who graze on kelp.
- These sea stars are most commonly found from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to Carmel Bay. They can occur in temperate waters south of Carmel Bay, but these sea stars prefer the colder water.
- Sunflower sea stars are occasionally found in the intertidal zones in Central California. Further north, they are more common in deeper waters near the intertidal zones.
Vermillion star Credit: Robin Riggs / Aquarium of the Pacific
Vermillion sea star
Mediaster aequalis
Vermillion stars are named for their vivid red-orange color.
- Vermillion sea stars can be found from northern Alaska to northern Mexico.
- They reside in rocky reefs from the intertidal zone to as deep as 1,650 feet.