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Seven armed starfish

Seven armed starfish by Paul Naylor

Seven armed starfish

Enw gwyddonol: Luidia ciliaris
Brittle stars, sea urchins and other starfish will want to stay out of the way of this speedy carnivorous starfish!

Species information

Ystadegau

Typically up to 40cm but can reach 60cm across

Statws cadwraethol

Common

Pryd i'w gweld

April to October

Ynghylch

The seven armed starfish likes to eat other starfish, brittle stars and urchins. Their seven arms allow them to move surprisingly quickly across the sea floor.

Sut i'w hadnabod

Orange all over the body and seven arms. Arms are long, soft and only get thinner towards the tips. Obvious white spines run around the edge of each arm.

Dosbarthiad

Found around the UK except for South East England

Test

Roeddech chi yn gwybod?

An adult seven armed starfish can produce over 200 million eggs in a year. Only a tiny fraction will likely survive.

Sut y gall bobl helpu

Always follow the Seashore Code when rockpooling, taking care where you walk and making sure you put animals and rocks back gently. Report any sightings to your local Wildlife Trust