Blue starfish at Naqalia Lodge – Fiji- Yasawa islands

In the Pacific Ocean especially in the shallow water of Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu is possible to find one of the most beautiful starfish: THE LINCKIA BLUE SEA STAR. The blue starfish has a bright blue or light blue body, Star is found in the sunny areas of the reef and reef fringe, constantly foraging for food. The animals get their colour from a blue pigment called linckiacyanin and some accessory yellow carotenoids. Depending on the exact ratio and combination of pigments in the star, the colors of the starfish can vary.
In the water just in front of Naqalia Lodge , you can find several of this beautiful creatures.
Linckiahas 5 cylindrical arms with rounded tip and it may grow up to 30-40 cm in diameter. The sexes appear to be separate in Linckia, and the animals spawn gametes freely into the water above them. If a male and female happen to spawn in close proximity to one another, the fertilized eggs develop into feeding larvae within a couple of days. These larvae spend about 28-30 days in the water column before settling onto a hard surface on the reef and metamorphosing into a tiny version of the adult star.

The blue starfish are chemically defended from many fish predators as they possess chemical defence compounds called saponins but the y are not dangerous for humans