Bringing back sunflower sea stars, which are functionally extinct in California, could help restore kelp forests off the ...

Year round this same species can be found all along the West Coast, from Baja California to Alaska. But in 2014, a disease nearly brought them to extinction here.

Sea stars only live in saltwater and usually prefer to stay about 130 feet below the water's surface on a soft sandy bottom, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. The gray sea star can grow up to 12 ...