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🧬 Biological Classification (Kingdom to Species)Asterias amurensis

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Echinodermata

Class

Asteroidea

Order

Forcipulatida

Family

Asteriidae

Genus

Asterias

Species

Asterias amurensis

Asteroidea🌊 Marine predator / filter feeder

Northern Pacific seastar

Asterias amurensis (Northern Pacific seastar · キヒトデ)

🛡️ Conservation Status (IUCN Red List)NE (Not Evaluated)

Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.

Geological Era

Extant

Diet

Marine predator / filter feeder

Length · Height

50cm · No data

Mass · Top Speed

No data · No data

Habitat & Fossil Locality

Estuaries, intertidal zones, and shallow waters along North Pacific coasts (down to 220 m depth), in relatively cool water

💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed

💡 An arm-span diameter of 50 cm is about 1.7 times the long side of an A4 sheet of paper (29.7 cm) (Comparison).
💡 In its native Japan, it has caused major damage to the shellfish aquaculture industry (ADW).

Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.

#아무르불가사리#Asterias amurensis

📖 1. Overview

The northern Pacific seastar is a large starfish living along the North Pacific coast and can be seen along all coasts of Korea. It is known to cause heavy damage to aquaculture farms.

🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology

It usually has 5 arms with slightly upturned tips. The arms widen and thicken from the tips toward the central disc, and the dorsal spines are short but strong and rough. Body color is commonly beige with purple markings.

🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior

Both a predator and a scavenger, it favors bivalves such as mussels most, while also eating carrion, barnacles, and seaweeds. Its numbers surge around food-rich aquaculture farms, and it usually mates and spawns in April–May.

🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea

It is listed in the National List of Species of Korea and is found along all Korean coasts. It is known to cause severe damage not only to farmed shellfish at aquaculture sites but also to marine ecosystems.