4 arms starfish in metal circle
AN414
This starfish that forms a cross in a circle belongs to a species that is widespread in the Indo-Pacific Ocean: the comb sea star (Astropecten Polyacanthus). But this specimen, which comes from Bohol in the Philippines, is not common, since it has only 4 arms. A rather rare anomaly, but which does not prevent this star from filtering the sand in search of small gastropods and detritus. And contrary to its common name, the thorns lining its arms do not serve it to "comb" the sand, but rather to defend itself since they contain a poison: the Tetrodotoxin, of which no antidote is known to date... Together with 2 other very different species of starfish, they make a heterogeneous but very graphic family: AN412 and AN413.
