THE CUTEEST STARFISH IN THE MALDIVES
- Friendly Fins
- Dec 17, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 7
“You often confuse us with other animals! We know we are good at camouflaging ourselves, but with this simple guide, you will be able to recognize us immediately!
Sharpen your eyesight Friendly Fins!
What to Look for in a Starfish
Since we were children we have known that starfish have 5 arms and are red! Well, this is a good start! In reality the little stars that we have always known because they are found among the rocks, are only a tiny part of the very large group of these extravagant animals.
Starfish can:
have more than 5 arms;
have very obvious spines and prickles;
have no arms;
be a myriad of different colors.
“We are not just red!”
What starfish do we encounter in the Maldives?
Let's get straight to the heart of the coral reef, diving in to get to know the main protagonists of the extraordinary Maldivian marine environment.
Starfish Biscuit(granulated sea star)
Also known in English as granulated sea star, its name is choriaster granulatus. This very cute animal immediately catches the eye during snorkeling and diving in the Maldives!
How to recognize it
Just take a look at it to understand its cute name! Its 5 cute chubby arms, rounded body and pink color with red or orange shades, make it easily identifiable. It is also a particularly large star, reaching dimensions of up to 30 cm in diameter.
Where to find it
The biscuit starfish can be found from the first meters of depth up to 30 meters and beyond, therefore easily accessible to everyone. It usually takes shelter under or near corals both on steep and more sloping coral walls.
Observing the coral reef calmly, Friendly Fins, you will surely find it!
Elegans sea star
Fromia nodosa is its name, known in English as elegans sea star, it is in fact among the most beautiful stars that we can meet in the Maldives!
How to recognize it
It is a small starfish, a few centimeters in diameter, but with very bright colors; in fact, the center of its body is bright red, as are the tips of its 5 arms. The rest of its body is yellow with reddish swirls, which is where the name “nodosa” comes from.
Where to find it
It is a star that loves to stay attached to large coral boulders such as Porites, easy to see at low depths during a relaxing snorkel or at the end of a dive.
Indian Starfish or Red Starfish
“Cousin” of the knotted starfish, its name is Fromia indica, in English it is known as black tip red starfish or indian starfish. It is also common in shallow waters and is a very active star, which moves a lot during the busy day of the coral reef where it lives.
How to recognize it
At first glance it looks like the super classic red starfish that we all know even in the Mediterranean. But be careful! It is not completely red! It has black tips on its arms, this detail differentiates it from the rest of the starfish world. Furthermore, with a careful eye you can notice the black veins that run along its small body, in fact its dimensions are also very small, with lengths of about 8 centimeters.
Where to find it
Like its cousin, it frequents shallow waters, living both on coral boulders in elevated positions and on the seabed itself. Very easy to encounter while snorkeling and at the end of a dive.
Crown of Thorns Starfish
Unique in its kind, known in English as Crown of Thrones, its name is Acanthaster planci; this star looks like anything but a starfish. Fearsome predator of coral polyps, it is one of the most voracious animals of the coral reef!
How to recognize it
If you look for a starfish, you can be sure that you will not be able to find it! It is a very large animal with a diameter of 40 to 60 cm and is black in color. Do not try to count 5 arms, because in reality it can have up to 23! Do not look for a smooth body typical of starfish because it is literally covered with spines of about 6 cm in length. This spiny black body is also crossed by electric blue radial stripes that run on the back of all the arms.
"Insomma, un "piccolo" mostro marino!"
Where to find it
This starfish, as you can imagine, is not difficult to spot for its “original” characteristics, but… Better not to find it or not to find more than one at a time!
The excessive presence of these animals severely affects the well-being of the coral reef. Therefore, the less we see, the better!
Multi pore sea star(Linckia multifora)
Known in English as multi pore sea star, its name is Linckia multifora. It is the living demonstration of the extraordinary regenerative power of starfish!
How to recognize it
It is a starfish that comes in different colors: from brown, pink, red, to gray with small red spots all over its body. Its size varies from 5 to 13 cm.
Where to find it
Very easy to find at low depths during snorkeling and diving; it can be literally everywhere so it will not be difficult to spot it! In addition to meeting it in its "entirety", it will be easy to find some of its arms scattered around the seabed! In fact, it is a starfish that frequently practices autotomy (self-amputation): losing one or more arms and regenerating another individual from these fragments!
So Friendly Fins, do not be sad if you find only a few arms resting on the seabed, it will soon become a new multicolored starfish!
Spiny cushion star
Among the most beautiful masterpieces of Nature, the cushion starfish is called Culcita schmideliana and is known in English as spiny cushion star.
How to recognize it
To find it, you have to break away from the idea of a classic 5-armed starfish and look for a pentagonal cushion on the seabed!
The colors can be very different: red, gray, green, pink and orange; the surface is then decorated with granules and small thorns visible to the naked eye that give it a rough appearance.
The diameter of this star is around 30 cm, making it easy to spot.
Where to find it
It is found in shallow seabeds, mostly "bare" with no live coral, resting on the bottom or attached to some coral pinnacolino. It also populates the steepest seabeds, giving the possibility of being admired both during snorkeling and diving.
And now Friendly Fins all you have to do is dive in and come and look for us around the Maldives!
But... will you know how to behave when you find us? Click here to find out!
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