We took advantage of the bright weather last weekend and headed out to the coast at Felixstowe. There were few birds about, but in a secluded corner we found a collection of starfish, or 'sea stars' to use the preferred name in scientific circles.
The one above is, I believe, a Common sunstar. I don't think I have ever encountered one before. What a beautiful creature.
I couldn't resist the photo above, which shows the proximity of the Common sunstar to one of the other star-shaped echinoderms. I hadn't noticed the 'stars' of white light from the camera until the photo was uploaded; it seemed a shame to crop them off!
As you can see from the second photo in this post, there were quite a few ripples in the pool so it was not easy to take a sharp picture. The photo above shows the best attempt at detail I could manage.
The images immediately above and below show what I think must be the Common seastar, Asterias rubens.
Can you see those marks in the sand (top right), which I assume indicate the creature's direction of travel.
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| Another . . . |
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| . . . and another |
And finally, lurking in the sand was what I suspect may be the rather sad remains of a Brittlestar or similar . . .
I shall post these on iSpot, and may hopefully learn a bit more. I now know to keep an eye out for these fascinating sea creatures, particularly after a storm.
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