Is This Phallic-Looking Starfish for Real?

On Feb. 16, 2023, an photo post in the subreddit r/Damnthatsinteresting went viral despite a somewhat innocuous title: "It's an Australian sea star called a Choriaster."

The photograph is frequently shared on reddit and other social media posts. It has been shared, among other places, in the subreddits r/mildypenis, r/intentionallypenis, and r/oddlyarousing. On Twitter, as just one example, the same image was tweeted by an account named Phallic Science:

Evidently some internet travelers feel as though this animal looks like it possesses human penises for arms. 

The creature is indeed real. Its scientific name is Choriaster granulatus and it is commonly referred to as a granulated sea star. While they can be found in Australia, they have a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific region. 

For example, these Choriaster images come from Micronesia: 

Because Choriaster granulatus is a real animal that may, at times, look multi-phallic, the claim is "True."

Behavior

This starfish feed on algae, detritus, and dead animals. One of its predators is the sea snail Triton's trumpet . It also eats various small invertebrates and coral polyps.

Habitat

''Choriaster granulatus'' lives in shallow waters at depths of up to 40 metres, and is found on rubble slopes, coral reefs, in the reef front, back reef, the external reef, and frequently in locations with rubble and detritus.

Food

This starfish feed on algae, detritus, and dead animals. One of its predators is the sea snail Triton's trumpet . It also eats various small invertebrates and coral p