Martha, a spiny starfish, was passed onto the centre by scuba diver Graeme Smith who couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the giant animal near Oban.
The creature will soon be on display to the public.
Sea Life marine expert Farrah Minchin said: “It’s a spiny starfish, a common species off the west coast but one that generally grows to only 30 or 40 centimetres.
“Exceptionally, they can reach 70cms, but this one measures just under 84cms and we think it might be a record breaker.” Spiny starfish have five tapering arms edged in purple and topped with three rows of white spines.
Like most starfish they can shed an arm to escape a predator, such as a seal or otter, and grow a replacement.
Farrah said: “They can live in shallow water or down at depths of up to 200 metres and they eat shellfish by prizing apart the shells with their powerful tentacles and exuding their stomachs to digest the unfortunate creature before drawing their stomachs back in again.” Loch Lomond staff have christened their new arrival Martha, an abbreviation of its scientific name Marthasterias glacialis and hope to have it settled in its new home this week.
Martha, a spiny starfish, was passed onto the centre by scuba diver Graeme Smith who couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the giant animal near Oban.
The creature will soon be on display to the public.
Sea Life marine expert Farrah Minchin said: “It’s a spiny starfish, a common species off the west coast but one that generally grows to only 30 or 40 centimetres.
“Exceptionally, they can reach 70cms, but this one measures just under 84cms and we think it might be a record breaker.” Spiny starfish have five tapering arms edged in purple and topped with three rows of white spines.
Like most starfish they can shed an arm to escape a predator, such as a seal or otter, and grow a replacement.
Farrah said: “They can live in shallow water or down at depths of up to 200 metres and they eat shellfish by prizing apart the shells with their powerful tentacles and exuding their stomachs to digest the unfortunate creature before drawing their stomachs back in again.” Loch Lomond staff have christened their new arrival Martha, an abbreviation of its scientific name Marthasterias glacialis and hope to have it settled in its new home this week.
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