The video effectively uses a compelling narrative of a critically endangered species, the Sunflower Sea Star, to highlight the importance of conservation efforts. It combines scientific information with a clear explanation of the ecological impact, making the audience care about the cause and the organizations involved.
Summary
This video explains the ecological importance of the Sunflower Sea Star, its drastic population decline due to disease, and the ongoing conservation efforts by the Colossal Foundation, Snuneymuxw First Nation, and Vancouver Island University to restore its population and the kelp forests it helps maintain.
Structure
1Introduction to the Sunflower Sea Star and its role as a keystone species.
2Explanation of how the sea star's absence impacts kelp forests.
Original caption
Replying to @Not Nate Saving the Sunflower Sea Star, the giant invertebrate protector of Kelp Forests from Alaska to Mexico, with @colossal , the Snuneymuxw First Nation, and Vancouver Island University #animals #conservation #learning #goodnews #biology
More from @zekedarwinscience
More breakout videos from this creator.
3
Discussion of the sea star wasting disease and its devastating effect on populations.
4Details on the discovery of the causative bacterium and the research efforts.
5Highlighting the conservation partnership and their work to restore the species.
6Call to action to follow Colossal Foundation's work.
Product placement
Planet Earth: appears, does not act, removing it would not change what happens in the video.
Sunflower Star Laboratory: appears, does not act, removing it would not change what happens in the video.
NOAA FISHERIES: appears, does not act, removing it would not change what happens in the video.
Colossal Foundation: acts, it funds species reintroduction projects, removing it would change what happens in the video.
Snuneymuxw First Nation: acts, it is an indigenous government and leads conservation projects, removing it would change what happens in the video.
Vancouver Island University: acts, it is involved in research and larval rearing for conservation, removing it would change what happens in the video.
Call to action
Follow Colossal socials more about the 2026 and 2025 Colossal Species Reintroduction go check my Colossal playlist
On-screen text
SUNFLOWER SEASTAR
THIS IS THE
SUNFLOWER SEA
STAR
AN INVERTEBRATE
PREDATOR
24 ARMS
SPAN THAT'S ONE
METER ACROSS
~5KG
OVER 10 POUNDS
A KEYSTONE SPECIES
AS THEY ARE
TOP PREDATORS OF
SEA URCHINS
URCHIN
POPULATIONS GO
THEY'RE ABLE TO
GRAZE THE KELP
FORESTS
FROM THE SEAFLOOR
AT THE KELP
AND DISCONNECTING THE
FOREST FROM THE
BOTTOM
DISRUPTING ENTIRE
ECOSYSTEMS
WHICH IS WHY
THESE GIANT SEA
THAT LOVE HANGING
OUT NEAR THE
SEA URCHINS
IMPORTANT PART OF
THE ECOSYSTEM
Sunfower Sea Star Distribution
NOAA
FISHERIES
Prior to 2013
THE SPECIES WAS
COMMON
FROM ALASKA'S ALEUTIAN
ISLANDS
DOWN TO BAJA
CALIFORNIA MEXICO
The Colossal Foundation's Species Reintroduction Fund
puts $250,000 behind the most critical reintroduction
projects on the planet, every year.
Reply to Not Nate's comment
What caused the sunflower starfish
population to drop?
LARGEST MARINE
WILDLIFE
DISEASE OUTBREAK
EVER RECORDED HIT
THE WEST COAST
OVER THE NEXT
SEA STAR
WASTING
DISEASE
FEW YEARS SEA
STAR WASTING
DISEASE
KILLED OFF AROUND
6,000,000,000
6 BILLION SUNFLOWER SEA
STARS
WATERS
FROM BAJA CALIFORNIA
TO CAPE FLATTERY
WASHINGTON THE POPULATION
COLLAPSED BY AROUND
99%
THE COLDER NORTHERN
FROM THE SALISH
GULF OF ALASKA
WERE A LITTLE
BIT SAFER FOR
THESE SEA STARS
STILL DEADLY THERE
AS 88% OF
THE POPULATION COLLAPSED
Photo | Jenn Collins
Photo | Jennifer Adler
THE SPECIES IS
NOW DECLARED FUNCTIONALLY
EXTINCT
ACROSS MOST OF
ITS FORMER HABITAT
AND IN SOME
OF THOSE REGIONS
HAS ALREADY DECREASED
BY 96%
FOR OVER A
DECADE SCIENTISTS COULDN'T
FIGURE OUT
WHAT WAS CAUSING
THIS EXTREME
REALLY GRUESOME DISEASE
BUT IN 2025
RESEARCHERS AT THE
HAKAI INSTITUTE IN
BRITISH COLUMBIA
THEY HAD A
BREAKTHROUGH
TO RECREATE THE
LAB
THEM TO IDENTIFY
WHAT WAS ACTUALLY
CAUSING THE DISEASE
A KNOWN BACTERIUM
CALLED VIBRIO
PECTENICIDA
A NEWLY IDENTIFIED
THAT WAS CAUSING
THE DISEASE
A HUGE DISCOVERY
FOR THE FUTURE
OF THIS SPECIES
ONCE YOU IDENTIFY
WHAT'S ACTUALLY CAUSING
YOU CAN ATTEMPT
TO FIX IT
3 mm
BUT SEA STAR
ISN'T EASY
THEY HAVE BEEN
ON OUR PLANET
NEARLY 500 MILLION YEARS
NOT THE SAME
OF COURSE BUT
THE POINT IS
THEY ARE VERY
DIFFERENT THAN THE ANIMALS
WE TYPICALLY STUDY
THAT MEANS THERE
TO LEARN
FOR EFFECTIVE CONSERVATION
UNFORTUNATELY PEOPLE TYPICALLY
DON'T CARE ALL
ABOUT INVERTEBRATES AND
THAT'S WHY
THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN
THE COLOSSAL FOUNDATION'S SPECIES REINTRODUCTION FUND
PUTS $250,000 BEHIND THE MOST CRITICAL REINTRODUCTION
PROJECTS ON THE PLANET, EVERY YEAR.
Snuneymuxw
First Nation
AND THIS NENE
MOH FIRST NATIONS
IS MY FAVORITE
PARTNERSHIPS THAT WERE
RECENTLY ANNOUNCED
THE INDIGENOUS LED
IS WORKING TO
RESTORE THE SUNFLOWER
SEA STAR POPULATION
IN THEIR WATERS
CAN RESTORE THE
BULL KELP FORESTS
THAT THEY'VE LIVED
ALONGSIDE FOR MILLENNIA
RELY ON
Snuneymuxw First Nation
MARINE DIVISION
AND FISHERIES TEAM
THE FIELD WORK
WHILE THE VANCOUVER
ISLAND UNIVERSITY IS
HANDLING
THE LARVAL
REARING
AND THE TWO
GROUPS ARE WORKING
TO BEST FIGURE
HOW TO RETURN
THESE STARS TO
THE WILD
ALL WHILE DEVELOPING
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
BASELINE
FOR THE SPECIES
WHICH CAN HELP
GUIDE RESPONSIBLE
SCIENCE BASED RECOVERY
ALONG MORE OF
THE WESTERN COAST
IN CASE ANYTHING
LIKE THIS EVER
HAPPENS AGAIN
IN THE FUTURE
AND WATCH THE
PROGRESS
FOLLOW COLOSSAL
SOCIALS
MORE ABOUT THE
2026 AND 2025
COLOSSAL SPECIES REINTRODUCTION
GO CHECK MY
COLOSSAL PLAYLIST
40 VIDEOS THERE
NOW
THERE IS A
LOT THAT HAS
BEEN DONE
Transcript
This is the sunflower sea star, an invertebrate predator with up to 24 arms, span that's one meter across. They can weigh over 10 pounds. A keystone species, as they are top predators of sea urchins. And when urchin populations go unchecked, they're able to graze the kelp forests from the seafloor, just chomping away at the kelp and disconnecting the forest from the bottom, disrupting entire ecosystems. Which is why these giant sea stars that love hanging out near the sea urchins are such an important part of the ecosystem. Prior to 2013, the species was common from Alaska's Aleutian Islands down to Baja California, Mexico. The Colossal Foundation's Species Reintroduction Fund puts $250,000 behind the most critical reintroduction projects on the planet, every year. Over the next few years, sea star wasting disease killed off around 6 billion sunflower sea stars. In the warmer waters from Baja California to Cape Flattery, Washington, the population collapsed by around 99%. The colder northern waters from the Salish Sea to the Gulf of Alaska were a little bit safer for these sea stars, still deadly there, as 88% of the population collapsed. The species is now declared functionally extinct across most of its former habitat. And in some of those regions, has already decreased by 96%. For over a decade, scientists couldn't figure out what was causing this extreme, really gruesome disease. But in 2025, researchers at the Hakai Institute in British Columbia, they had a breakthrough to recreate the lab. Them to identify what was actually causing the disease. A known bacterium called Vibrio Pectenicida, but this was a newly identified strain that was causing the disease. A huge discovery for the future of this species. Once you identify what's actually causing the problem, you can attempt to fix it. But sea star conservation isn't easy. They have been on our planet nearly 500 million years, not the same of course, but the point is, they are very different than the animals we typically study. That means there is a lot to learn for effective conservation. Unfortunately, people typically don't care all about invertebrates and that's why the partnership between the Colossal Foundation's Species Reintroduction Fund and the Snuneymuxw First Nation is my favorite of the seven partnerships that were recently announced. The Indigenous led program is working to restore the sunflower sea star population in their waters, so that they can restore the bull kelp forests that they've lived alongside for millennia, rely on. Their Marine Division and Fisheries Team are leading the field work while the Vancouver Island University is handling the larval rearing. And the two groups are working to best figure how to return these stars to the wild, all while developing a better understanding of the genetic baseline for the species, which can help guide responsible, science-based recovery along more of the western coast, in case anything like this ever happens again in the future. To follow along and watch the progress, follow Colossal socials more about the 2026 and 2025 Colossal Species Reintroduction, go check my Colossal playlist. There are over 40 videos there now. There is a lot that has been done.
