Sunflower Sea Star Population Down to 10% Due to Fatal Syndrome That Turns Them to Goo

The majority of the sunflower sea star population was reduced to goo by a fatal syndrome. 10% of the marine life is left.

According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, there are 33 endangered species in Washington State and more than 7,000 worldwide. Now, a starfish found on the coast of Washington might be included in the list.

The sunflower sea star should be listed as "threatened" under the endangered species act, according to a proposal made on Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

It will be the very first time that a species of starfish or sea star would be listed as an endangered species, according to Jason Hodin, a University of Washington senior research scientist.

According to NOAA officials, the designation of sunflower sea stars as "threatened" as per the Endangered Species Act will have an impact on federal actions, decisions regarding the protection of shorelines, and potential funding for research.

Sea Star Wasting Syndrome

What was once among the most widespread species on earth has almost completely disappeared over the past ten years. The "Sea Star Wasting Syndrome" is thought to have killed billions of sunflower sea stars, or more than 90% of them, according to NOAA officials.

Sea stars with the illness grow lesions, lose their arms, and in a matter of days, they turn into goo.

Hodin and his team from the University of Washington have been breeding sunflower sea stars in Friday Harbor for the past four years in an effort to reintroduce this species to the wild in response to this growing concern.

According to Hodin, they have been learning about how they develop, what they need to eat, the types of environments they require for growth, and how one might save the species.

As per Hodin's research, the disease has killed more than 95% of the state's sunflower sea stars, according to estimates from the Fish and Wildlife Department of Washington. There is still a long way to go, according to him, and he hopes that declaring the species as "threatened" will result in the necessary adjustments to ensure its survival.

Hodin Pointed out that the sunflower sea star population decline indicates the need to better protect the ocean's ecosystem. Although there may not be much that experts can do to prevent a disease from spreading, there are things that can be done to reduce environmental pollution and other stresses on the ocean, King5 reports.

Also Read: Fairy Lantern That Eats Fungi Rediscovered 30 Years After Extinction in Japan 

Sunflower Sea Star

This stunning sunflower star can be distinguished from other sea stars by its array of 24 arms.Its beauty is enhanced by its soft skin, which comes in hues of purple to shades of brown, orange, or yellow. This creature is a voracious predator for a sea star. The sunflower star swings effortlessly on its 15,000 tube feet while searching for food, moving at the astounding rate of more than 40 inches per minute.

According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium prey of the sunstar use an array of escape strategies to avoid being ensnared by the tube feet of the sea star. Sea urchins have ways to flee, California sea cucumbers, which are typically sedentary, would slither out of the way, and abalones and snails violently twist their shells to break the star's strong hold.

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