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Who Am I?
Answer: Purple or Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster ochraceus)
Seattle Aquarium - www.seattleaquarium.org
The purple sea star is the most common type of sea star found on Vancouver's sea shores. It comes in different colours, from light pink to brown to dark purple. On the underside of each arm, a sea star has hundreds of tube feet that it uses for touching and smelling. These tube feet can also hold on to things. The purple sea star uses them to pry open the shell of an animal, such as a mussel, that it would like to eat. Then, the sea star brings its stomach up through its mouth and inserts it into the mussel's shell. The mussel is digested right inside its shell. Then, the sea star brings its stomach back through its mouth and moves on to find its next meal!
You can see sea stars at nearby beaches. They can be found underwater on rocks, on gravel beaches, and on docks in the intertidal zone. The intertidal zone is the area where the water of the ocean meets land. It is continuously covered and uncovered by the daily movement of the tides.
