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Story: Starfish, sea urchins and other echinoderms

Dried starfish and sea urchin

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Dried starfish and sea urchin

These starfish and a sea urchin (top centre) were collected by underwater divers near Kāpiti Island in 1971. A hobby at the time was to dry the specimens to make wall plaques. Since 1992 much of the underwater life of Kāpiti Island has been protected by a marine reserve, inside which it is illegal to collect animals like these.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP/1971/5161/22A

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Starfish, sea urchins and other echinoderms – Spiny-skinned animals, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5186/dried-starfish-and-sea-urchin (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 2 March 2009.