Pink Sea Star

Pisaster brevispinus

Pink Sea Star

Pisaster brevispinus

Other Common Names
Giant pink sea star
Short-spined sea star

Sandy Coast

Other Common Names

Giant pink sea star
Short-spined sea star

At the Aquarium

Sandy Coast

Appearance

The pink sea star can grow to be nearly 2 feet from arm tip to arm tip. This makes the pink sea star one of the largest species of sea stars. The pink sea star, as its name suggests, is pale pink in color and has the standard 5 arms.

Habitat

Sandy bottom subtidal and very low intertidal areas

Diet

Clams, snails, mussels. sand dollars

Life History

The pink sea star spawns between March and August. After about 30 hours in the egg the juveniles hatch out. Over time the free floating microscopic juveniles will grow their 5 arms. The juveniles then settle to the seafloor and slowly grow into adult sea stars.

IUCN Status

Not Evaluated

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

The pink sea star is an important part of the food web. It eats a variety of shellfish and is eaten by larger sea stars and occasionally gulls and sea otters. This sea star helps transport nutrients to larger species by acting as both predator and prey. Pink sea stars may look familiar to those who grew up watching Spongebob Square Pants, as they closely resemble Spongebob’s best friend Patrick Star.

Southern California to south eastern Alaska

Pink sea stars live in sandy bottomed areas, so they are unlikely to be found in tide pools. The best way to spot one of these large sea stars in the wild is by looking below piers and docks.

Pink sea stars move using their tiny tube feet, which look like tubular tendrils on the star’s underside. These tube feet can draw in water and stretch out almost 8 inches in search of food! Since its shellfish prey hide beneath the sand, the pink sea star first finds then digs up its prey using those tube feet.

The pink sea star is a competitive predator and if it happens upon the same prey item as a sunflower star, it may fight.

Citations & Other Resources

jkirkhart35, Pisasterbrevispinus, CC BY 2.0
Cowles, D. 2005. Pisaster brevispinus (Stimpson, 1857). Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. https://inverts.wallawalla.edu/Cnidaria/Class-Anthozoa/Subclass_Zoantharia/Order_Actiniaria/Metridium_farcimen.html
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. 2024. Pisaster brevispinus. University of Washington. https://www.eopugetsound.org/species/pisaster-brevispinus
Hiebert, T. C., B. A., Butler, A. L., Shanks. 2016.Oregon Estuarine Invertebrates: Rudys’ Illustrated Guide to Common Species, 3rd Edition. University of Oregon Libraries and Oregon Institute of Marine Biology.
Central Coast Biodiversity Website: https://www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/spiny-pink-star-bull-pisaster-brevispinus.html

Pink Sea Star

Pink Sea Star

Other Common Names

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

Contact Us

Subscribe to E-Newsletter

About Oregon Coast Aquarium