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Pycnopodia helianthoides is one of the most interesting and unique sea stars in its class. It is one of the biggest, has the most arms, and also can move the fastest. Its radiant colors and shape are also unique.
Sea stars have very few predators, especially P. helianthoides. Sometimes Alaska king crab and sea otters may attack sea stars. Birds such as gulls have been known to prey upon sunflower stars. The magnitude of loss of intertidal P. helianthoides is enough to explain the near absence of these soft-bodied sea stars in the intertidal zone of Tatoosh. Pycnopodia helianthoides can have large subtidal populations that do not experience bird predation resulting in a little effect on their total population sizes. Predators mainly eat the sea stars during their larval and juvenile stages. The availability of food, rather than predation, limits the number of adult sunflower stars.
Known Predators:
Pycnopodia helianthoides, the largest of the sea stars, is radially symmetrical. The sunflower star has more arms than any other species, numbering between 15 and 24 (most sea stars have between 5 and 14), and is the heaviest known sea star, weighing about 5 kg. Their arms are up to 40 cm long and they are usually around 80 cm in diameter. The colors vary. Some are reddish-orange to yellow, violet brown, purplish or slatey purple. The stomach is found on the underside of the center body, or the oral surface. This area is usually a lighter color with yellow or orange tube feet. Pycnopodia helianthoides has over 15,000 tube feet which have suction cups that allow the stars to cling to rocks. The suctions cups are so strong that if you try to pull a sea star of a rock, the suctions cups may break lose from the sea star and continue to stick on the rock.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; radial symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Sea stars have a life span usually between 3 and 5 years.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 3 to 5 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 3-5 years.
Sunflower stars are commonly found on various substrates like mud, sand, gravel, boulders and rock. They are found from the intertidal zone to 435 m, however, most are found no more than 120 m.
Range depth: 435 (high) m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; saltwater or marine
Aquatic Biomes: benthic
Other Habitat Features: intertidal or littoral
Pycnopodia helianthoides is commonly found in marine environments ranging from the shallow waters of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, to San Diego, California.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic ; pacific ocean
Pycnopodia helianthoides is primarily carnivorous, feeding on mussels, sea urchins, fish, crustaceans (crabs and barnacles), sea cucumbers, clams, gastropods, sand dollars, and occasionally algae and sponges. However, the diet varies with geographic location and the availability of prey. For example, on the west coast, studies show that sea urchins are its main prey. For most sunflower stars, sea urchins make up 21-98% of their diet. Sunflower stars use their strong sense of smell and very sensitive indicators of light and dark to find their prey, and can move at a quick rate of 10 cm per second or 18 feet per minute. While moving, it puts its leading 8 arms in front and when it contacts the prey, it throws the leading arms down on top of the prey. Pycnopodia helianthoides then protrudes its stomach, envelops the entire prey, and digests it. The arms and greatly expandable tube feet are the basic tools of prey capture. Many species have developed escape responses to sunflower stars. For example, the abalone Haliotis accelerates and at the same time whips it shell back and forth to break the grasp of the tube feet of the sea star.
Animal Foods: mollusks; aquatic crustaceans; echinoderms; other marine invertebrates
Plant Foods: algae
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats non-insect arthropods, Molluscivore , Eats other marine invertebrates); herbivore (Algivore); omnivore
Pycnopodia helianthoides regulates the structure of the benthic community. Between Oregon and the northern Gulf of Alaska, this abudant sea star is the only species considered to be an important sea urchin predator. Pycnopodia helianthoides coexists with its prey while otters decimate urchin populations; therefore, they have a more subtle effect. Pycnopodia helianthoides creates small-scale, prey-free patches by consuming few prey individuals, while the remaining prey exhibit a strong escape response. Since the urchins are herbivorous, the short-term existence of prey-free patches can influence plant diversity and community primary productivity.
There was no information regarding the economic importance of P. helianthoides to humans.
This species is viewed by many commercial fishers as a pest. The results of the sunflower star's predacious behavior fouls long-line gear and crab pots.
The eggs develop into swimming, bilateral larvae that usually remain in the plankton for no more than 10 weeks. The larval form feeds on single-celled plants. When the larva settles on the bottom it metamorphoses into a young sea star with five arms. The young P. helianthoides initially feeds on the thin layer skin-celled plants that coat the bottom of their marine habitat. The juvenille soon adds an arm clockwise from the bivium. Additional arms are added bilaterally in pairs to either side of the sixth ray. Each new pair is inserted between the last pair formed and the adjacent original arms.
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
If a predator attacks, P. helianthoides can let its arm drop off and send a chemical that causes an alarm response to other sunflower stars in the area. If its arm is irritated or disturbed by a predator, it will drop it off or autotomize its arm. The autotomy is triggered by a chemical that is released by injured tissues. This allows sunflower stars to escape from the predator holding onto its arm.
Communication Channels: chemical
Other Communication Modes: pheromones
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; chemical
There is no sexual dimorphism within these species. Fertilization is external.
Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Pycnopodia helianthoides breeds by broadcast fertilization between March and July. However, the main peak is May and June. Each separate sex sheds its eggs or sperm into the water where the fertilization takes place by chance.
Breeding interval: Between March and July
Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; sexual ; fertilization (External ); oviparous
There is no parental care within this species.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning)
Dəniz günəşi (lat. Pycnopodia helianthoides), Dərisitikanlıların Dəniz ulduzları sinfinə aid onurğasız heyvan növü.
L'estavella gira-sol (Pycnopodia helianthoides) és una espècie d'equinoderm asteroïdeu de la família Asteriidae; és predadora i habita en costa nord-oest d'Amèrica del Nord.
Pycnopodia helianthoides, auch Sonnenblumen-Seestern, ist eine Art der Seesterne aus der Ordnung der Zangensterne (Forcipulata) mit zahlreichen Armen, die an der nordamerikanischen Pazifikküste häufig ist. Mit bis zu einem Meter Spannweite gehört sie zu den größten Seesternen der Welt. Sie ähnelt äußerlich zwar den Sonnensternen, zählt aber zur Familie Asteriidae. Bedingt durch die Überhitzung des Lebensraums im Rahmen des Klimawandels und aufgrund eines Virus ist die Art gegenwärtig von einem Massensterben betroffen.[1]
Pycnopodia helianthoides hat in der Regel 16 bis 24 etwa 40 cm lange Arme und erreicht einen Durchmesser von meist 80 cm, bisweilen bis über 1 m und eine Körpermasse von etwa 5 kg. Die Farbe der eher weichen, samtartig strukturierten Haut auf der Oberseite variiert stark zwischen hell orange, gelb und rot bis braun und manchmal violett. Die etwa 15.000 gelben bis orangefarbenen Saugfüßchen an der hellen Unterseite des Tieres erreichen beim Festsaugen am Felsen eine so hohe Kraft, dass sie eher zerreißen, als sich vom Untergrund zu lösen.
Pycnopodia helianthoides ist getrenntgeschlechtlich und kann sich sowohl ungeschlechtlich durch Fissiparie als auch geschlechtlich fortpflanzen. Im Mai und Juni kommen zahlreiche Weibchen und Männchen zusammen, richten ihre Mittelscheibe mithilfe der Arme auf und entlassen ihre Keimzellen ins freie Meerwasser, wo die Eizellen von den Spermien befruchtet werden. Es entwickeln sich frei als Plankton schwimmende Larven, die sich nahe der Meeresoberfläche von Phytoplankton ernähren. Nach 2 bis 10 Wochen verankern sich die Larven am Meeresgrund und machen die Metamorphose zu Seesternen durch, die zunächst nur fünf Arme haben. In den folgenden Wochen wachsen ihnen weitere Arme. Pycnopodia helianthoides kann 3 bis 5 Jahre alt werden.
Pycnopodia helianthoides ist an der nordamerikanischen Pazifikküste von den Aleuten bis San Diego in Kalifornien häufig, wobei die größten Individuen in Puget Sound (British Columbia) und Alaska zu finden sind. Die Seesterne leben in der unteren Gezeitenzone und unterhalb in Gebieten mit viel Seegras und Tang, vertragen es aber nicht, länger im Trockenen zu liegen.
Pycnopodia helianthoides bevorzugt weithin Seeigel als Beutetiere, frisst aber auch häufig Seesterne, Seegurken, Muscheln, Schnecken (darunter oft Seeohren), Krebse (Rankenfußkrebse, Einsiedlerkrebse) oder Aas.[2]
Mit Geschwindigkeiten von etwa 1 m/min gehört Pycnopodia helianthoides zu den schnellsten Seesternen und kann so eine Reihe von Beutetieren einholen. Auf Grund der nicht miteinander verbundenen Kalkplatten kann der Seestern auch größere Beute verschlingen, stülpt aber bei sehr großer Beute seinen Magen zur extraintestinalen Verdauung aus.
Zu den wichtigsten Fressfeinden von Pycnopodia helianthoides zählen verschiedene Fische, Königskrabben und Sonnensterne (insbesondere Solaster dawsoni). Um sich zu retten, wirft der Seestern häufig durch Autotomie einen oder mehrere Arme ab, die in wenigen Wochen nachwachsen.
Pycnopodia helianthoides, auch Sonnenblumen-Seestern, ist eine Art der Seesterne aus der Ordnung der Zangensterne (Forcipulata) mit zahlreichen Armen, die an der nordamerikanischen Pazifikküste häufig ist. Mit bis zu einem Meter Spannweite gehört sie zu den größten Seesternen der Welt. Sie ähnelt äußerlich zwar den Sonnensternen, zählt aber zur Familie Asteriidae. Bedingt durch die Überhitzung des Lebensraums im Rahmen des Klimawandels und aufgrund eines Virus ist die Art gegenwärtig von einem Massensterben betroffen.
Pycnopodia helianthoides, commonly known as the sunflower sea star, is a large sea star found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The only species of its genus, it is among the largest sea stars in the world, with a maximum arm span of 1 m (3.3 ft). Adult sunflower sea stars usually have 16 to 24 limbs. They vary in color.
They are predatory, feeding mostly on sea urchins, clams, sea snails, and other small invertebrates. Although the species was widely distributed throughout the northeast Pacific, its population rapidly declined from 2013.[3] The sunflower sea star is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.[4]
Sunflower sea stars can reach an arm span of 1 m (3.3 ft). They are the second-biggest sea star in the world, second only to the little known deep water Midgardia xandaros, whose arm span is 134 cm (53 in) and whose body is 2.6 cm (roughly 1 inch) wide, although P. helianthoides is the largest known echinoderm by mass.[4] Growth begins rapidly, but slows as the animal ages. Researchers estimate a growth rate of 8 cm (3.1 in)/year in the first several years of life, and a rate of 2.5 cm (0.98 in)/year later.[5]
Their color ranges from bright orange, yellow-red to brown, and sometimes purple, with soft, velvet-textured bodies and 5–24 arms with powerful suckers.[4][6] Most sea star species have a mesh-like skeleton that protects their internal organs.[7]
Sunflower sea stars were once common in the northeast Pacific from Alaska to southern California,[4] and were dominant in Puget Sound, British Columbia, northern California, and southern Alaska.[7] Between 2013 and 2015, the population declined rapidly due to sea star wasting disease[8] and warmer water temperatures[9] caused by global climate change.[10] The species disappeared from its habitats in the waters off the coast of California and Oregon, and saw its population reduced by 99.2% in the waters near Washington state.[3] A team of ecologists using shallow water observations and deep offshore trawl surveys found declines of 80–100% from 2013 population levels across a 3,000 kilometer range.[11] In 2020, the species was declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[5] Suggestions that sea star wasting disease was caused by bacterial pathogens or parasites and was contagious, due to its tendency to spread to multiple locations.[12]
Sunflower sea stars generally inhabit low subtidal and intertidal areas rich in seaweed,[13] kelp,[14] sand, mud, shells, gravel, or rocky bottoms.[15] They do not venture into high- and mid-tide areas because their body structure is heavy, and requires water to support it.[16][7]
Sunflower sea stars are efficient hunters, moving at a speed of 1 m/min (3.3 ft/min) using 15,000 tube feet that lie on their undersides.[4][6] They are commonly found around urchin barrens, as the sea urchin is a favorite food. They also eat clams, snails, abalone, sea cucumbers and other sea stars.[4] In Monterey Bay, California, they may feed on dead or dying squid.[17] Sea star appetites and food can depend on environmental factors in their habitats, such as climate, amount of prey in the area, and latitude.[15] Although the sunflower sea star can extend its mouth for larger prey, the stomach can extend outside the mouth to digest prey, such as abalone.[18]
Easily stressed by predators such as large fish and other sea stars, they can shed arms to escape, which regrow within a few weeks. They are preyed upon by the king crab.[7]
Sunflower sea stars can reproduce sexually through broadcast spawning.[19] They have separate sexes.[18] Sunflower sea stars breed from May through June. In preparing to spawn, they arch up using a dozen or so arms to hoist their fleshy central mass above the seafloor and release gametes into the water for external fertilization.[18] The larvae float and feed near the surface for two to ten weeks. After the planktonic larval period, the larvae settle to the bottom and mature into juveniles.[7] Juvenile sunflower sea stars begin life with five arms, and grow the rest as they mature.[17] The lifespans of most sunflower sea stars is three to five years.
Since 2013, sunflower sea star populations have been in a rapid decline due to disease and changes in climate. In 2020, the IUCN first assessed that the sunflower sea star was critically endangered.[20] The Nature Conservancy and its partner institutions, along with the University of Washington are working to initiate captive breeding.[21] Captive breeding efforts include seasonal production, larval development, and growth and feeding experiments.[22] On August 18, 2021, the Center for Biological Diversity created a petition asking that the sunflower sea star be protected under the Endangered Species Act.[23] In March 2023, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed listing the sunflower sea star as threatened under the act.[24]
Sunflower sea stars are one of sea urchins' main predators.[25] Sea stars control their population and help maintain the health of kelp forests.[26] Due to the decrease in sea star population, sea urchin populations are exploding, which pose a threat to biodiversity, particularly in kelp forests.[9] Sea star wasting disease spreads throughout the whole body. The limbs become affected and eventually fall off, ultimately causing death from degradation.[11] Sea star wasting disease appears to be a Sea Star-associated Densovirus (SSaDV).[8][27] The disease creates behavioral changes and lesions.[8] This disease is known to be more prevalent and harmful in wamer water. The warming waters in California, Washington, and Oregon have coincided with the increased risk of sea star wasting disease.[11]
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) {{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) Pycnopodia helianthoides, commonly known as the sunflower sea star, is a large sea star found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The only species of its genus, it is among the largest sea stars in the world, with a maximum arm span of 1 m (3.3 ft). Adult sunflower sea stars usually have 16 to 24 limbs. They vary in color.
They are predatory, feeding mostly on sea urchins, clams, sea snails, and other small invertebrates. Although the species was widely distributed throughout the northeast Pacific, its population rapidly declined from 2013. The sunflower sea star is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
La estrella girasol (Pycnopodia helianthoides) es una especie de equinodermo asteroideo de la familia Asteriidae; es predadora y habita en costa noroeste de Norteamérica.[1]
Es la mayor estrella de mar conocida, pudiendo alcanzar un metro de diámetro, y también la más rápida, ya que puede moverse a una velocidad superior a los 70 cm por minuto, desplazándose con su sistema de pies ambulacrales. De su disco central surgen entre 15 y 25 brazos, largos y flexibles.[2] Su color va desde un naranja brillante hasta el amarillo y rojo, aunque también puede adoptar un color pardo y, a veces, púrpura. Su piel tiene una textura aterciopelada y sus brazos tienen poderosas ventosas.[3]
Se asusta fácilmente en presencia de depredadores potenciales, como los peces de gran tamaño y otras estrellas marinas. Puede deshacerse de sus brazos para escapar, ya que estos le crecerán de nuevo en un plazo de unas dos semanas. Son parte de la dieta de los cangrejos rey.[4]
La estrella girasol (Pycnopodia helianthoides) es una especie de equinodermo asteroideo de la familia Asteriidae; es predadora y habita en costa noroeste de Norteamérica.
Le Soleil de mer ou Étoile de mer tournesol[2] (Pycnopodia helianthoides) est une étoile de mer de la famille des Pycnopodiidae, seule représentante du genre Pycnopodia. Elle est considérée comme une des plus grandes espèces d'étoiles de mer.
Le soleil de mer est une très grosse étoile de mer aux couleurs variables suivant les régions, allant du rouge au violet profond en passant par diverses teintes de gris, de rose, de bleu, d'orange et de marron ; ces couleurs semblent suivre parfois des variantes géographiques. Elle atteint en moyenne de 50 à 90 cm de diamètre, avec un diamètre maximal enregistré de plus d'un mètre, ce qui en fait sans doute la plus grande espèce d'étoile de mer connue. Elle possède de 16 à 24 bras (cinq chez les juvéniles, seize en moyenne chez l'adulte), rayonnant autour d'un large disque central aplati. Les papules respiratoires forment un duvet sur la face aborale, mouchetée de points blancs. La face orale est presque entièrement recouvertes de podia (pieds ambulacraires équipés de ventouses) blancs, longs, robustes et charnus ; elles en ont plus de 15 000, et ils lui servent autant à se déplacer qu'à saisir et ouvrir ses proies.
Un petit spécimen échoué.
Face orale, où l'on voit bien les podia.
On trouve cette étoile dans le Pacifique Nord-Est, du Mexique à l'Alaska[3]. On la rencontre souvent à faibles profondeurs, dans la zone intertidale inférieure, notamment dans les herbiers d'algues, où elle se nourrit d'herbivores. Mais elle peut aussi se retrouver à des profondeurs plus grandes, jusqu'à -435 m[3].
Cette étoile est un prédateur carnivore, qui se nourrit principalement d'oursins[4], mais aussi de mollusques, de concombres de mer et d'autres étoiles de mer, et adoptent aussi à l'occasion un régime charognard. Elles peuvent ouvrir leur bouche très grand pour avaler une proie, mais sont aussi capables de dévaginer leur estomac pour digérer de manière externe une proie trop grosse.
Ces étoiles sont la proie de certains oiseaux marins (quand elles sont jeunes), mais aussi des crabes royaux, ainsi que de l'étoile carnassière Solaster dawsoni, dont la présence provoque chez le soleil de mer un comportement de panique[5]. Pour s'échapper, elles peuvent abandonner un bras à un prédateur, qui repoussera rapidement.
Ce sont des espèces à sexes séparés mais aussi capables de reproduction fissipare. Les gamètes sont projetés en pleine eau à la fin du printemps, où les œufs puis les larves évolueront parmi le plancton pendant une dizaine de semaines avant de se poser sur le fond pour entamer la métamorphose. Les adultes peuvent vivre jusqu'à cinq ans.
Cette étoile a été la principale victime du syndrome du dépérissement de l'étoile de mer qui a décimé les populations d'étoiles de mer du Pacifique est depuis 2013[4]. En 2020, elle est la seule étoile de mer à intégrer la Liste rouge de l'UICN avec le statut d'espèce en danger critique d'extinction[6].
Le Soleil de mer ou Étoile de mer tournesol (Pycnopodia helianthoides) est une étoile de mer de la famille des Pycnopodiidae, seule représentante du genre Pycnopodia. Elle est considérée comme une des plus grandes espèces d'étoiles de mer.
La stella marina girasole (Pycnopodia helianthoides Brandt, 1835) è una specie di stelle marine appartenenti al genere Pycnopodia.
Sono tra le più grandi stelle marine al mondo; hanno numerosi tentacoli (da 16 a 24), che raggiungono una lunghezza di 1 m. Sono dei predatori, e possono muoversi alla velocità di 1 metro al minuto.[2]
Vivono nell'Oceano Pacifico, nei mari americani tra l'Alaska e la California.[2]
Pedicelli ambulacrali che si diramano da un tentacolo della stella.
La stella marina girasole (Pycnopodia helianthoides Brandt, 1835) è una specie di stelle marine appartenenti al genere Pycnopodia.
Sono tra le più grandi stelle marine al mondo; hanno numerosi tentacoli (da 16 a 24), che raggiungono una lunghezza di 1 m. Sono dei predatori, e possono muoversi alla velocità di 1 metro al minuto.
Vivono nell'Oceano Pacifico, nei mari americani tra l'Alaska e la California.
Pycnopodia helianthoides (species ab Ioanne Friderico de Brandt anno 1835 descripta) est species stellae marinae familiae asteriidarum, et maxima in orbis terrarum, cum mensura a sinitro brachio ad rectum brachium 1 metri. Pycnopodiae helianthoidea solitim habent a 16 ad 24 brachia, et eorum color variantior est. Sunt praedatores qui primum se alunt in echinoidebus, conchis, cochleais, et aliis parvis formis vitalibus. Pycnopodiae helianthoidea inventae sunt in septentrionaliter orientali Oceano Pacifico.
Haec stipula ad Echinodermatum spectat. Amplifica, si potes! Pycnopodia helianthoides (species ab Ioanne Friderico de Brandt anno 1835 descripta) est species stellae marinae familiae asteriidarum, et maxima in orbis terrarum, cum mensura a sinitro brachio ad rectum brachium 1 metri. Pycnopodiae helianthoidea solitim habent a 16 ad 24 brachia, et eorum color variantior est. Sunt praedatores qui primum se alunt in echinoidebus, conchis, cochleais, et aliis parvis formis vitalibus. Pycnopodiae helianthoidea inventae sunt in septentrionaliter orientali Oceano Pacifico.
De Zonnebloemster (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is een zeester die voorkomt aan de westkust van Noord-Amerika.
De volwassen zeester heeft 16 tot 24 armen (jonge dieren beginnen met vijf). De zeester kan zich vrij snel voortbewegen, tot een meter per minuut. De doorsnede bedraag normaal gezien zo'n 65 cm, maar sommige exemplaren groeien uit tot 1 meter. De kleur kan variëren van geel via oranje en rood tot bruin en soms zelfs paars.
Het dier voedt zich met allerlei organismen, en kan door te verschijnen flinke vluchtreacties teweegbrengen. De habitat bestaat uit zand- of steenbodems. De zeester is slecht bestand tegen droogvallen en leeft daarom onder de getijdenzone.
De zonnebloemster kan zich zowel geslachtelijk als ongeslachtelijk voortplanten.
De Zonnebloemster (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is een zeester die voorkomt aan de westkust van Noord-Amerika.
De volwassen zeester heeft 16 tot 24 armen (jonge dieren beginnen met vijf). De zeester kan zich vrij snel voortbewegen, tot een meter per minuut. De doorsnede bedraag normaal gezien zo'n 65 cm, maar sommige exemplaren groeien uit tot 1 meter. De kleur kan variëren van geel via oranje en rood tot bruin en soms zelfs paars.
Het dier voedt zich met allerlei organismen, en kan door te verschijnen flinke vluchtreacties teweegbrengen. De habitat bestaat uit zand- of steenbodems. De zeester is slecht bestand tegen droogvallen en leeft daarom onder de getijdenzone.
De zonnebloemster kan zich zowel geslachtelijk als ongeslachtelijk voortplanten.
Wikimedia Commons'ta Pycnopodia helianthoides ile ilgili çoklu ortam belgeleri bulunur. 
Wikispecies'te Pycnopodia helianthoides ile ilgili detaylı taksonomi bilgileri bulunur. Pycnopodia helianthoides, Pycnopodiidae familyasında monotipik Pycnopodia cinsinin tek üyesi olan bir denizyıldızı türüdür. Pasifik Okyanusu'nun kuzeydoğusunda bulunan bu denizyıldızı 1 m'ye varan kol uzunluğuyla dünyanın en büyük denizyıldızlarından biridir. Genellikle 16 ila 24 arasında kolu olan bu türün renkleri oldukça değişkenlik gösterir. Deniz kestaneleri, midyeler, deniz salyangozları ve diğer küçük omurgasızlarla beslenir.
P. helianthoides türünün kol uzunluğu 1 m'ye ulaşabilir.[3] Renkleri parlak turuncu, sarı ve kızıldan kahverengi ve bazen de mor renge kadar değişiklik gösterir. Gövdeleri yumuşak ve kadife desenlidir ve güçlü emeçleri olan 16 ila 24 arasında kolu vardır.[3][4]
Alaska'dan Kaliforniya'nın güneyine kadar olan bölgede yaygın olarak görülürler[3] ve kuzeyde daha büyük bireyler bulunur.[5] Genellikle yosun[6] ve kelp[7] açısından zengin olan gelgit bölgelerinde yaşarlar.
P. helianthoides gövdelerinin altında bulunan yaklaşık 15.000 tüp ayak sayesinde dakikada 1 m'lik hızlarıyla oldukça etkili ve hızlı avcılardır.[3][4] Deniz kestaneleri en çok yedikleri besindir. Bunun yanı sıra midyeler, deniz salyangozları, abalon, deniz hıyarları ve diğer denizyıldızları ile beslenirler.[3] Kaliforniya'da Monterey Körfezi'nde ölü ya da ölmekte olan kalamarlarla da beslenirler.[8] Ağzını oldukça geniş olarak açabilse de abalon gibi gastropodları sindirebilmek için midesi gövdesinin dışına çıkar.[9]
Büyük balıklar ve diğer denizyıldızları gibi avcılarda kaçmak için kollarını koparabilirler, kopan kolar birkaç hafta içinde tekrar büyürler. Lithodidae familyasından yengeçler tarafından avlanırlar.[5] Ortalama ömürleri üç ila beş yıl arasındadır.
Pycnopodia helianthoides, Pycnopodiidae familyasında monotipik Pycnopodia cinsinin tek üyesi olan bir denizyıldızı türüdür. Pasifik Okyanusu'nun kuzeydoğusunda bulunan bu denizyıldızı 1 m'ye varan kol uzunluğuyla dünyanın en büyük denizyıldızlarından biridir. Genellikle 16 ila 24 arasında kolu olan bu türün renkleri oldukça değişkenlik gösterir. Deniz kestaneleri, midyeler, deniz salyangozları ve diğer küçük omurgasızlarla beslenir.
Pycnopodia helianthoides là một loài sao biển lớn được tìm thấy ở phía đông bắc Thái Bình Dương. Nó là loài sao biển lớn nhất thế giới, với sải cánh sao dài tối đa là 1 m (3.3 ft). Sao biên hướng dương thường có 16-24 cánh, màu sắc của chúng có thể rất khác nhau. Chúng là động vật ăn thịt, thức ăn chủ yếu là ăn cầu gai, sò, ốc, và động vật không xương sống nhỏ khác
Pycnopodia helianthoides là một loài sao biển lớn được tìm thấy ở phía đông bắc Thái Bình Dương. Nó là loài sao biển lớn nhất thế giới, với sải cánh sao dài tối đa là 1 m (3.3 ft). Sao biên hướng dương thường có 16-24 cánh, màu sắc của chúng có thể rất khác nhau. Chúng là động vật ăn thịt, thức ăn chủ yếu là ăn cầu gai, sò, ốc, và động vật không xương sống nhỏ khác
