Eventually, the team hopes for a return of these stars to Monterey Bay, where they can help maintain kelp forests, which are ...

The sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides), a beautifully colored species in bright orange, yellow or purple hues, was the largest and fastest of the local sea stars, and with its 20-plus rays ...

SAN FRANCISCO— The Center for Biological Diversity submitted a federal petition today calling for the sunflower sea star to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Sunflowers, one of the ...

Ocean acidification is also a threat to the species. Following today’s decision the government will open a public comment period on sunflower sea star protection. The Endangered Species Act requires ...

The sunflower sea star is a big starfish — more than 3 feet across — that roams the ocean floor in orange, yellow and purple. These invertebrates can grow as many as 24 arms, and they’re ...

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about the ocean, climate change, and the future of our planet. Along the coast of British Columbia, Canada, researchers have been ...

Purple sea urchins have benefited from the decline of the sunflower sea star. This was a major predator until it was almost completely wiped out by a wasting disease in 2014. The resulting explosion ...

MOSS LANDING >> Sunflower sea stars are nearly extinct in Monterey Bay. But at the Sunflower Star Lab in Moss Landing, a group of 1-year-olds are growing and thriving. On Valentine’s Day 2024 ...