Blood Star (Henricia leviuscula)

Description: Blood stars have five long and thin tapering cylindrical arms. They are relatively small compared to other sea stars, rarely growing larger than 12 cm in diameter. As their name suggests, blood stars have color of red-orange that appears very vivid. Like other sea stars, they move using hundreds of tiny feet with suction cups.

Habitat: Blood stars range from the coast of Alaska to southern California, and can be found along the coasts of Mexico and Japan. They prefer to live under rocks in protected areas, such as caves and pools along the tidal zone. The rocks in which they inhabit, are often covered in sponges and bryozoans. 

Diet: The diet of blood stars consists of bacteria and other small particles that are captured from the surface of the sponges which they live. 

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• Like other sea stars, blood stars are able to re-grow body parts, as long as a portion of the central disk remains unharmed. 

• The only predators to blood stars are humans and birds. Humans do not eat Blood Stars, but are attracted to them due to their vivid color. But when blood stars die, their vivid red/orange color fades. 

Reference: Biodiversity of the Central Coast