Scripps Family's Youngest Cousins Honored with Seastar Name Designation
The ocean depths continue to reveal their mysteries, and the latest discovery is a fascinating find: the Scripps Cousins Wood-Dwelling Seastar. This unique marine creature, officially named Caymanostella scrippscognaticausa, was unveiled in 2024 by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).
This seastar, which lives on pieces of wood in the ocean, is not associated with the Name-a-Species donor opportunity at Scripps but offers a way for members of the public to support science and ocean diversity. The Scripps Oceanography, one of the world's most important centers for global earth science research and education, is a hub for such discoveries.
The Scripps Cousins Wood-Dwelling Seastar is a remarkable creature. Its body is flattened, and its mouth is enlarged to maximize contact with its woody home. It boasts specialized spines that help it hold on. This seastar thrives in a specialized ecosystem that develops on sunken branches, logs, or entire trees.
The name Caymanostella scrippscognaticausa is a Latinized form of "Scripps Cousins for Causes," a group that selected this seastar due to its importance to ocean biodiversity. The Scripps children, representing the latest generation of the Scripps family, chose the Wood-Dwelling Seastar among science projects in a competition.
This discovery is a testament to the work being done at Scripps Oceanography. Each year, on average, 10 or more new species are named from specimens collected on expeditions and lodged in the Scripps Benthic Invertebrate Collection. In 2023, two species described from this collection, Solwarawarriors vestimentiferan and Alaysia solwarawarriors, as well as Prince Albert's Sea Daisy, Xyloplax princealberti, made the top 10 list.
The Scripps Oceanography's research vessels and facilities, including Birch Aquarium at Scripps, which welcomes 500,000 visitors each year, are instrumental in facilitating these discoveries. Through its undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programmes, Scripps offers unparalleled education and training for the next generation of scientific and environmental leaders.
The Scripps Cousins Wood-Dwelling Seastar is a significant addition to our understanding of marine life. It serves as a reminder of the wonders that lie beneath the waves and the crucial role that institutions like Scripps Oceanography play in uncovering them.
This unique discovery, the Scripps Cousins Wood-Dwelling Seastar, not only expands our knowledge of marine life but also provides an opportunity for public engagement in supporting science and ocean diversity. As one of the world's leading centers for oceanographic research and education, Scripps Oceanography continues to foster education-and-self-development through its undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs, nurturing the next generation of scientific and environmental leaders.
