Pisaster ochraceus
Quick Summary
Pisaster ochraceus, commonly known as the purple or orange sea star, is a large, typically five-rayed starfish found on the Pacific coast of North America. Sea stars, belonging to the class Asteroidea, are marine invertebrates with arms radiating from a central disk. They inhabit all oceans and possess tube feet that enable movement and clinging.12
Sea stars feed by everting their stomach onto prey, such as mollusks, or by swallowing prey whole. They can regenerate lost arms. Reproduction is usually sexual, but some species reproduce asexually through fragmentation. Pisaster ochraceus is known to prey on other echinoderms like sand dollars.2
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community ecologyKeystone speciesThe starfish Pisaster ochraceus is a keystone species in the rocky marine intertidal communities off the northwest coast of North America. This predatory starfish feeds on the mussel Mytilus californianus and is responsible for maintaining much of the local diversity of species within certain communities. When the…
Read MoreThe starfish Pisaster ochraceus is a keystone species in the rocky marine intertidal communities off the northwest coast of North America. This predatory starfish feeds on the mussel Mytilus californianus and is responsible for maintaining much of the local diversity of species within certain communities. When the…
Read More- keystone species
The starfish Pisaster ochraceus is a keystone species in the rocky marine intertidal communities off the northwest coast of North America. This predatory starfish feeds on the mussel Mytilus californianus and is responsible for maintaining much of the local diversity of species within certain communities. When the…
Read MoreThe starfish Pisaster ochraceus is a keystone species in the rocky marine intertidal communities off the northwest coast of North America. This predatory starfish feeds on the mussel Mytilus californianus and is responsible for maintaining much of the local diversity of species within certain communities. When the…
Read More