The strange name Bloody Henry is commonly applied to two starfish, Henricia oculata and Henricia sanguinolenta. These are very similar starfish which are difficult to distinguish in the field unless you have the two side by side. H. oculata is commoner of the two in the south but both seem to occur with similar frequency in the north. Neither is identification helped by the fact that both are variable in colour ranging from blood red to purple. Both are very stiff starfish with legs that are almost circular in section and they seem to prefer sites of high water movement from the lower shore down. Maximum diameter is about 10cms.

The strange name Bloody Henry is commonly applied to two starfish, Henricia oculata and Henricia sanguinolenta. These are very similar starfish which are difficult to distinguish in the field unless you have the two side by side. H. oculata is commoner of the two in the south but both seem to occur with similar frequency in the north. Neither is identification helped by the fact that both are variable in colour ranging from blood red to purple. Both are very stiff starfish with legs that are almost circular in section and they seem to prefer sites of high water movement from the lower shore down. Maximum diameter is about 10cms.