Kōrero: Starfish, sea urchins and other echinoderms

Cushion stars are probably the commonest starfish around the coast and are frequently found in tidal rock pools. They may be orange, brown, green, blue, purple or mottled combinations of these; their underside is pale pink. Usually they have five arms like this specimen, but some have four or six. They can grow to 10 centimetres in diameter – about the width of an adult’s hand.