Creature Feature Encyclopedia: Asteroidea

Icon Sea Star Iconaster longimanus

Because of their bright colors, icon sea stars are very easy to identify. They are omnivores, which means that they eat both plants and animals. Icon stars can grow to be four inches wide, and usually live at depths of 30 to 150 feet. They make their homes throughout the Indo-Pacific region, where they live on rocky ocean floors, in channels between reefs, and under coral slabs. Divers often miss seeing these colorful sea stars because there is less light at these depths than near the surface.

~A Swim through the Sea © 1994