At the Aquarium today I was discussing with the other volunteers something particularly intriguing.

The Black Starfish.

This is a creature which lives somewhere in the outer coast exhibit, but is rarely seen. Generally it is biding its time somewhere where it cannot be seen. But occasionally it makes an appearance, and it eats fish.

I first heard about it two weeks ago from Paul the Elder, who is so called because he is the older of two Pauls who both volunteer on Sunday afternoons. He mentioned it offhand, and I was not able to get any further information. This week there was a woman named Gavin, who I spent some time with in the Underwater Dome (something to be experienced at leisure in order to fully appreciate it, should you visit the Seattle Aquarium) with a book on Coast Fishes of the Pacific Northwest, trying to separate the various species of rockfish. Neither of us knew anything of the fishes, but she said she particularly likes the invertebrates, so I decided she must be cool.

Invertebrates, of course, include starfish, so I asked her about the black starfish. She hasn’t seen it lately, so she asked Paul, but he hasn’t seen it recently either, although he allowed that it has previously lurked in a particular hole now inhabited by a female kelp greenling, although it is possible that they are sharing.

She found a particular book (of Canadian origin) about starfish which had a bit about the black starfish. Sea star, excuse me. I didn’t retain the latin name, unfortunately, but perhaps google will help me out. It apparently has some particularly spiky bits sticking out with which it can snare unwary small fish.

Beware the black sea star!