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Last post 3 years ago by Krazeehorse. 15 replies replies.
THINK OF THE STARFISH!!!
tj2001cobra Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 08-05-2008
Posts: 28,561
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/41673/mysterious+stranding+on+irish+beach+involved+up+to+50000+starfish/

Mysterious stranding on Irish beach involved up to 50,000 starfish

By: Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com

It was a surreal and somewhat ghostly sight: that of perhaps 50,000 starfish that somehow had come ashore overnight, en masse, and perished on a secluded beach in Ireland. The Belfast Telegraph reports that harsh weather might have been responsible for last week's peculiar and mysterious event, on Lissadell Beach.

As many as 50,000 starfish line Lissadell Beach in Ireland. Experts are not sure, but believe a severe storm brought them ashore. Courtesy of Belfast Telegraph

Bill Crowe, a marine biologist at Sligo Institute of Technology, theorized that the starfish (also called sea stars) might have been lifted ashore while feeding on mussel beds in the nearshore tidal zone. They were spread over nearly 500 feet of coastline.

"The most likely explanation is that they were feeding on mussels, but it is a little strange that none of them were attached to mussels when they were washed in," Crowe said.

A toxic algae bloom would seem another possible explanation, but no other type of marine life was affected. Only starfish, mostly adult size, were found on the beach.

Equally mysterious is that virtually all of the starfish were dead, meaning they had succumbed surprisingly quickly after coming or being delivered ashore.

Other experts agreed that the most likely explanation is stormy weather, and perhaps high surf that deposited the starfish on the beach.

"They turned up almost certainly as a result of an exceptional storm event," said Tim Roderick, an officer with Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service. "A storm hit the seabed where these sub-tidal animals were and lifted them up and washed them ashore."

The bizarre incident, like a smaller-scale die-off that occurred earlier this year on another beach in Ireland, remains under investigation.

Starfish, which can live up to 35 years in the wild, are among the most interesting critters in the world oceans. They possess no brains, and no blood. According to National Geographic: "Their nervous system is spread through their arms and their 'blood' is actually filtered sea water."

They're carnivorous and feed largely on clams, mussels and oysters.

"Using tiny, suction-cupped tube feet, they pry open clams or oysters, and their sack-like cardiac stomach emerges from their mouth and oozes inside the shell," National Geographic explains. "The stomach then envelops the prey to digest it, and finally withdraws back into the body."

It remains unclear who collected the 50,000 dead specimens on Lissadell Beach, and what became of them.
DrafterX Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 10-18-2005
Posts: 98,508
Damn... you'd think someone would have at least thrown one back... Sad
tyyler82 Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 09-21-2012
Posts: 2,816
^^Exactly what entered my mind when I read this. haha
raymusumeci Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 09-26-2012
Posts: 309
Wow this reminded me of a story i told my son when he was 3 years old and had gotten on my nerves so bad i was talking to him through clenched teeth trying to keep calm. I worked for an organization called City Year at the time and they had a handbook with founding stories that the company was built on. Instead of letting the little guy get the better of me i grabbed the book and asked if he want to hear a story.

THE STARFI S H S T O R Y (SHORTENED VERSI O N )
A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a
terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean.
People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you
doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another
starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied,
“Well, I made a difference to that one!”
The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he
joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were
saved.
adapted from the star thrower by loren c. eiseley

When i finished telling him the longer version of this story, he looked at me and said. "Daddy, i want to make a difference." I am surprised the little man survived the huge hug he got once he said that.

A few times before this and many times in the three years after this, my kids have done or said something to me that in a split second flash of lightning makes me realize just how downright stupid, and ignorant i am and how thankful i should be that they are around to teach me to be a better person.
DrafterX Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 10-18-2005
Posts: 98,508
Ram has a bat.... ram27bat
illinichaser Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 07-24-2011
Posts: 5,772
Starfish story is good. of course I topped it from the last time. . . LOL
delarob Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 06-28-2001
Posts: 5,318
Bless her starfish tossing heart.
bdrizzle Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 01-27-2011
Posts: 2,511
It's sad when a starfish dies.
DrafterX Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 10-18-2005
Posts: 98,508
The beaches in seaside communities in South Carolina are teeming with activity as thousands of sea creatures ended up on land.

Small starfish washed ashore Monday during low tide in areas near the tourist hotspot of Myrtle Beach.

The large mass of wriggling critters ended up on the shore of Garden City Beach and in Surfside.

Residents and tourists rushed to play in the mass of wriggling starfish, collecting some and putting handfuls of others back into the water.

Ann Malys Wilson, an interpretative ranger at Myrtle Beach State Park, told The Sun News the starfish are known as Lined Sea Stars and can wash up with strong waves, depending on the current.

“We tend to see more sea creatures when it’s warmer water,” she told the paper.

Wilson added that people should put the 5-legged creatures back in the water, but they must be careful since their arms are fragile and can break.

Starfish sightings increased over the weekend, with returning them to the sea.

Dakota Hughes, an aquarist from Ripley’s Aquarium, told WPDE-TV that starfish washing up on South Carolina beaches is normal.

Thousands of small starfish washed ashore during low tide on Garden City Beach, S.C. Residents and tourists rushed play in the mass of wriggling starfish, collecting some and putting handfuls of others back into the water.

"We see them more this time of year because there are more living organisms in the intertidal zone for them to feed on," he told the television station. "As winter comes, they tend to head back out closer to the shelf."


Hughes added, however, in the five years he has worked in the area that he's never seen as many starfish as the ones that washed up in recent days.


Film at 11.... Mellow
danmdevries Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 02-11-2014
Posts: 17,124
Starfish

Wash it up.

Don't make Jamie do it for you.
Mr. Jones Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 06-12-2005
Posts: 19,359
Drafter chased all of them outta' da' ocean with his SKIDDER UNDIES...
Speyside Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 03-16-2015
Posts: 13,106
Funny that Drafter finds articles and old posts about starfish. What is film at 11 really code for?
tonygraz Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2008
Posts: 20,175
That's his porno hour.
Numismaniac Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 01-13-2012
Posts: 12,222
Here's a link if anyone wants to see it, LOL


https://www.foxnews.com/us/starfish-south-carolina-beach-garden-city-ocean-summer-weather?fbclid=IwAR17tyMQof0mTH8eemns3Qo1i3RcgUwNYuqLv4w9TdeC1kvZgEFCgxkIYQs
Krazeehorse Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 04-09-2010
Posts: 1,958
I thought this was a thread about hot peppers.
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