West Seattle scene: Spring colors “blooming” on the shore

March 20, 2010 at 12:12 pm | In West Seattle beaches, West Seattle news, Wildlife | 2 Comments

Low tides this time of year aren’t mega-low (here’s the chart) – but low enough to happen onto sights like that one, photographed by Eve at Lincoln Park on Friday. In the note accompanying the photo, she wondered why there’s such a wide color variation among the common sea stars, as demonstrated in these two. We did find at least one scientific paper that suggested an explanation – but perhaps someone with a little more user-friendly marine-biology knowhow has a simpler answer!

2 Comments

  1. LOVE this picture! Like two little lovebirds (or lovestars) sunbathing…the colors are magnificant!

    Comment by lori — March 20, 10 12:26 pm #

  2. Oh, I’ll give it a go, though I might regret the attempt.

    These are called ochre star fish – the adult form is orangish.
    Now, all of the color variations seen in the younger stars are a result of each individual star’s unique biology/genes. Like you can be blonde, I can be a redhead and for the most part we all end up gray, if we are lucky, at maturity. (I am kind of treading water here).

    The adult color, as the research paper says, is a selectively neutral trait, meaning, the color (orangish or otherwise, young or old) of starfish does not give our beloved, beautiful stars, as a species, any advantage evolutionarily speaking. Though the visual variation certainly enhances our enjoyment of them and our lives. :).

    What the research paper implies to me and the way my brain works, is that all the different colors of immature stars, just like human being physical traits, is a darn good mystery to unravel, as is all of the ways of nature; and are we not lucky for the wonder of it. :)

    Nope? OK. I will be looking forward to someone responding who can do better than that. :p

    Comment by d — March 20, 10 5:35 pm #

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