What does the study suggest about sunflower sea stars' feeding behavior?

• A. They will only eat nutritionally rich prey
• B. They avoid sea urchins altogether
• C. They are willing to hunt sea urchins but may prefer more nutritious marine animals
• D. They feed randomly without preference

Answer: (C)

Sunflower sea stars are opportunistic predators, but their feeding is guided by prey quality. They will hunt sea urchins when they’re available, but they don’t treat all prey as equal; they tend to prefer prey that offers more nutrition and energy. This means they show selective feeding rather than eating completely at random, and they don’t rely only on nutritionally rich prey nor avoid sea urchins entirely.