Dawson’s Sun Star
Solaster
dawsoni is a 12 or 13 armed, rather
uncommon sea star which can be found at depths ranging from low tide to 1400
feet. This Sun Star resides in cold, rocky costal waters, ranging from
Alaska
to California. It is one of the 38 species of Sea Stars the divers can encounter
in the Pacific Northwest, and can grow up to 20" in diameter. Also commonly
referred to as a morning star or cannibal sun star, it is usually red or orange
in color, but can vary from brown to gray-yellow.
The Dawson’s Sun Star it one of the top
benthic predators, and preys on other sea stars, especially Red Sea stars, Rose
stars and Leather stars as well as sea cucumbers and nudibranchs. Other
starfish have been seen fleeing when touched by a Sun star. They will even prey
on their own kind including a very close relative the Stimpson’s Sun star.
Solaster dawsoni is a very slow sea star which has to either overlap or
firmly grasp its prey before it can eat. Because a sea star is blind, a large
sea star will sometimes flee when touched by a small one. In this way,
Solaster dawsoni has been known to kill sea stars much larger than itself.
This sun star spawns in the period from
March to June releasing large yolky eggs which float to the surface, where they
are fertilized and develop into pelagic larvae. They swim around until they
develop into their benthic form and settle to the bottom. As the top dog in the
sea star food chain, Solaster dawsoni has no real predators, other than
it’s own species.