# Sand Star (*luidia foliolata*)

The Sand Star is a fascinating sea creature that looks like a star! It has many arms that help it move across the ocean floor.

- **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Shallow coastal waters and sandy ocean floors.
- **Also known as:** Sand Sea Star

![Sand Star](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Olympic_Coast_National_Marine_Sanctuary_2010_Luidia_foliolata.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Ed Bowlby, NOAA/Olympic Coast NMS; NOAA/OAR/Office of Ocean Exploration., Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olympic_Coast_National_Marine_Sanctuary_2010_Luidia_foliolata.jpg)

## Appearance

The Sand Star is a very flat sea star, typically with five long, leaf-like arms. Its body is light tan to grey-green, often speckled, allowing it to blend perfectly with sandy seabeds.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Echinodermata
- **Class:** Asteroidea
- **Order:** Paxillosida
- **Family:** Luidiidae
- **Genus:** Luidia

## Interesting facts

- Sand Stars belong to a group called "echinoderms," meaning "spiny skin."
- Some Sand Star species can move surprisingly fast for a sea star!
- Their mouth is located on their underside, facing directly into the sand.
- They move across the seabed using thousands of tiny, suction-cup-like tube feet!

## Special abilities

- **Regeneration Power:** Sand Stars can regrow lost arms because of their special regenerative cells, which helps them survive predator attacks.
- **Sand Burrower:** Sand Stars can rapidly bury themselves just beneath the sand because of their pointed tube feet, which helps them hide from predators.
- **Stomach Extrusion:** Sand Stars can push their stomach outside their body to digest prey externally, which helps them eat larger food items.

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 35 cm
- **Weight:** 0.2 kg
- **Lifespan:** 12 years

## Diet & Feeding

Tiny crustaceans and worms are a favorite meal for this sandy hunter.

- **Primary Foods:** small crustaceans, marine worms, mollusks, detritus
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [Sea Otter](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sea-otter) (*Enhydra lutris*) — Otters can crush and eat sea stars.
- **Eaten by:** [Dungeness Crab](https://www.snappit.app/explore/dungeness-crab) (*Metacarcinus magister*) — Crabs prey on smaller or injured sea stars.
- **Hunts:** Musselworm (*Nereis vexillosa*) — Actively consumes marine worms living in the sand.

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Camouflaged](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/camouflaged): Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue.
- [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life.

## Collections

- [Invertebrates](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/invertebrates)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Sand Star?

Look for fins, arms, tentacles, shells and body symmetry. Underwater light shifts colors, so structure and markings usually matter more than shade. Sea Creature Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Sand Star?

35 cm

### How much does Sand Star weigh?

0.2 kg

### How long does Sand Star live?

12 years

### What does Sand Star eat?

Tiny crustaceans and worms are a favorite meal for this sandy hunter.

### Where is Sand Star usually found?

Shallow coastal waters and sandy ocean floors.

### How does Sand Star hunt?

Foraging

## More Invertebrate

- [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral)
- [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*)
- [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*)
- [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*)

---

Source: [Sand Star: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sand-star)