Not too long ago, a story emerged about a beautiful tropical bird rescue. Orange in color and quite vibrant, the seemingly rare bird turned out to actually just be a seagull covered in curry. And this story about another interesting creature is oddly similar.
But, there’s one difference. Instead of wearing food, this exotic creature resembles food. According to Insider, scientists found a starfish that literally looks just like ravioli.
Scientists and other professional researchers call the starfish a Plinthaster dentatus.
But for the sake of simplicity, surely we can all refer to it as a “ravioli starfish.” The starfish was found in the Atlantic Ocean. Supposedly, other starfish like it were found before. But few researchers saw any that were alive and healthy.
In fact, Smithsonian starfish expert Chris Mah was quick to rave about the sighting, noting that it was a joy to even see the starfish feeding.
He went on to say, “This species stands out because the arms and disk are nearly confluent, thus presenting a more pentagonal shape relative to other sea stars… This species has been recorded in many trawl-collected specimen records in the past, but perhaps what makes our observations of this species here SO significant is the numerous FEEDING observations that have been made.”
Ready to see a photo? It’s pretty great.
Honestly, it’s just a little weird to see a starfish that you impulsively want to cuddle. So it should come as no surprise that this guy has been a huge hit on Twitter.
Technically a starfish is a ravioli @Kristen_Arnett pic.twitter.com/gYQNrCiSkr
— 🪲 samantha 🐛 (@sbeangreen) July 10, 2019
When you see it, it’s hard to look away. Anyone suddenly hungry for pasta?
🤩 "That is just the freakin-est thing I've seen all day."
— Bloomberg Originals (@bbgoriginals) July 10, 2019
Scientists @oceanexplorer captured a "ravioli" starfish that looks just like stuffed pasta off the southeastern U.S. coast #Okeanos pic.twitter.com/houKPchNYW
But, the best thing is that Mah is so excited to educate starfish fans. For someone whose job revolves around starfish, sharing photos and information is very important. “On one dive, we observed some very large individuals of this species perched on the surface of numerous glass sponges,” Mah added.
The ravioli starfish wasn’t the only starfish that Mah shared on the blog.
He also wrote about the Sthenaster emmae, which he never encountered alive until now.
Scientists thrilled to see rare starfish spotted alive, chowing on coral - CNET: The elusive sthenaster emmae sea star makes an appearance during a NOAA ocean exploration mission. https://t.co/0raSJJAYXx pic.twitter.com/oT4HLqLk3S
— Test The Tech (@test_the_tech) July 6, 2019
But unfortunately, the ravioli starfish is getting most of the press attention.
The Sthenaster emmae, while very rare, doesn’t resemble food.
The starfish expert also added, “This species was hypothesized to be a coral predator when I described it, based on fragments found in its gut, but now we have solid evidence of this species feeding on a primnoid octocoral!” Obviously, it’s a great find.
YOWEE! SECOND live video of sea star Sthenaster emmae feeding on this primnoid coral! 887 m Central Plateau Scarp! #Okeanos pic.twitter.com/aopacOyPhq
— Christopher Mah, @echinoblog.bsky.social (@echinoblog) June 29, 2019
Learning about these creatures may encourage you to hit up an aquarium or an Italian eatery.
I love u square starfish. pic.twitter.com/BAg1rVmdYv
— Heather Mahler (@heatherlime) February 1, 2019
According to National Geographic, though, there’s actually 2,000 species of starfish out there. That’s enough to keep Mah and fellow starfish fans busy for some time.
Ever wonder about the average lifespan of a starfish?
National Geographic says they can stick around for up to 35 years.
You may know them best as “starfish,” but certain people are trying to make “sea star” stick. Apparently, starfish aren’t even fish. So, the name’s a little misleading.
So good to see starfish/sea stars making a comeback. This photo of a sea star was taken in Edmonds, WA, on 6-30-19. @yourtake pic.twitter.com/Ty3KvMCEwo
— David Carlos (@DavCarlos) July 9, 2019
No matter what you call them, they’re amazingly beautiful.
Especially when they resemble food.
In fact, some people think that the ravioli starfish looks more like a cookie. So, if you see people throwing around the term “cookie starfish,” they’re also likely talking about the Plinthaster dentatus.
Plinthaster dentatus, identified by @echinoblog feeding on a Sponge. #Okeanos pic.twitter.com/hirrmjlE1t
— Steven Rogers (@CabinBoy365) April 12, 2015
Dare I say, the ravioli starfish is everything that the curry seagull wishes it could be?
One of the best things about this find is that people still don’t know all that much about. No matter what, the world still holds a ton of surprises. Who knows what may be uncovered next?
