January 5, 2024By Michelle StarrIn December, there have been several occasions where I came across Asterias forbesi, the Forbes sea star. Forbes sea stars are known as the common “sea star” and are found in the littoral zones of the North American Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Here is a sea star found on a sandbar at Gasparilla Pass. Always hold a sea star upside down as pictured, if you decide to handle one to observe it. A few common local echinoderms besides sea stars are urchins, sand dollars, brittle stars and sea cucumbers.

Source: Forbes January 06, 2024 09:35 UTC