Sunflower sea star
Pycnopodia helianthoides (Brandt, 1835)
CRCritically Endangeredechinoderms
The sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) is an echinoderm of the class Asteroidea, placed in the family Asteriidae and subfamily Pycnopodiinae. It belongs to the order Forcipulatida within the phylum Echinodermata.
Quick facts about the sunflower sea star
The IUCN Red List classifies it as Critically Endangered (CR) in a global assessment, a threatened category. Other English names for it include rag mop, slime star, sunflower star, sunflower seastar and sunflower starfish.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the sunflower sea star
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the sunflower sea star live?
Not recorded
What is the sunflower sea star?
Pycnopodia helianthoides, commonly known as the sunflower sea star, is a large sea star found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The only species of its genus, it is among the largest sea stars in the world, with a maximum arm span of 1 m (3.3 ft). Adult sunflower sea stars usually have 16 to 24 limbs. They vary in color. Sunflower sea stars are predatory and carnivorous, feeding mostly on sea urchins, clams, sea snails, and other small invertebrates. Although the species was widely distributed throughout the northeast Pacific, its population rapidly declined from 2013. The sunflower sea star is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
From the Wikipedia article “Sunflower sea star” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sunflower_sea_star&oldid=1384737711), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the sunflower sea star endangered?
The sunflower sea star is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species. What the categories mean.
How is the sunflower sea star classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumEchinodermata
- classAsteroidea
- orderForcipulatida
- familyAsteriidae
- genusPycnopodia
- SpeciesPycnopodia helianthoides (Brandt, 1835)
Synonyms Asterias helianthoides
Other names and names in other languages (12)
- Rag mopEnglish
- Slime starEnglish
- Sunflower seastarEnglish
- Sunflower starEnglish
- Sunflower starEnglish
- Sunflower starfishEnglish
- نجم البحر دوار الشمسArabic
- Estrella girasolSpanish
- Stella girasoleItalian
- Stella di mare girasoleItalian
- Stella marina girasoleItalian
- ПикноподияRussian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the sunflower sea star
Other species in the same family Asteriidae.
Common starfish
Asterias rubens
Flat-bottomed star
Asterias amurensis
Ochre star
Pisaster ochraceus
Giant sea star
Pisaster giganteus
Spiny starfish
Marthasterias glacialis
Pink stars
Pisaster brevispinus
CompareSunflower sea star vs Common starfishSunflower sea star vs Flat-bottomed starSunflower sea star vs Ochre starSunflower sea star vs Giant sea star
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the sunflower sea star?
The sunflower sea star is an echinoderm in the class Asteroidea and the family Asteriidae.
Is the sunflower sea star endangered?
Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Critically Endangered (CR) in a global assessment, which is a threatened category.
What is the scientific name of the sunflower sea star?
Its scientific name is Pycnopodia helianthoides, in the genus Pycnopodia.
What are other names for the sunflower sea star?
It is also called rag mop, slime star, sunflower star, sunflower seastar and sunflower starfish.
Is the sunflower sea star extinct?
No. The Catalogue of Life lists it as a living species, not extinct.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sunflower-sea-star
“Sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sunflower-sea-star.
@misc{sunflower_sea_star_2026,
title = {Sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/sunflower-sea-star},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}