Scientists Find a Sea Star Species that They Thought were Dead

A group of marine biologists was excited to find a few healthy sunflower sea stars. They lived off the coast of California.

Many were surprised to see the sunflower sea stars. killed by a disease that wiped out many sea stars.

Finding these special sea stars is good news. These sea stars can help bring back kelp forests, which are beneficial to the environment.

Sunflower sea stars can grow up to a huge size. Some can grow up to a meter high, which is about the height of a three-year-old kid.

These sea stars have many heads. What many people think are the seastar’s arms are actually the sea star’s head. They can grow up to 24 heads. These heads help them move quickly across the ocean floor.

Sea urchins are the main part of a sunflower sea star’s diet. Sea urchins also eat a lot of kelp. Without sunflower sea stars, the urchin population grew while the kelp population to decrease. Now that the sunflower sea stars are back, they manage the sea urchin’s population, which can help kelp forests recover.

Kelp forests play a big role in an ocean’s ecosystem. They provide food and a home to over 800 species of marine animals like sharks, sea otters, and fish. However, that’s not the only benefit of a healthy kelp forest. They can also absorb carbon dioxide in the ocean, a gas that causes global warming.

Scientists hope that the sea stars can bring back the kelp forests and keep our world healthy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c20y37077e6o