Orange starfish on a rocky ocean floor.
Sea Star
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue. Download larger version (jpg, 1.22 MB).
During Dive 16 of the Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping expedition, many corals exhibited evidence of predation. The sea star in this image, seen at a depth of 1,899 meters (6,230 feet), had nearly completely stripped this bamboo coral of its polyps, leaving exposed skeletal tissue.