Man finds STARFISH in the River Don at Sheffield

Scott Taylor found this Starfish in the River Don. (Photo by Scott Taylor).

Environmental volunteer Scott Taylor was puzzled when he found an unusual invasive species during a clean-up mission in the River Don this week.

Starfish are native to the sea and can’t survive in fresh water so he was intrigued to find one so far inland.

But the mystery was solved when the five legged aquatic creature turned out to be from China and made of plastic.

Scott is a volunteer with the River Stewardship Company, who look after the River Don in Sheffield, clearing litter, plant management and getting rid of invasive species.

The River Don near Sanderson’s Weir
. — The River Don near Sanderson’s Weir .

Scott said: “It was a bit of a surprise when I I found it near Sanderson’s Weir off Stevenson’s Road, in between the city centre and Meadowhall.

“It was pretty funny it looked so realistic. I picked it up and then I saw the copyright on the back.”

He volunteers in the river most Tuesdays.

"We find all sorts of stuff and get rid of absolutely tons of rubbish. We do a different section of the river pretty much every week,” said Scott.

“It’s amazing what you find. I found a knife a couple of weeks ago near Spider’s Bridge, some Indonesian coconut bowls last week. But I’ve never found a starfish before.

“I always take home weird finds. I like collecting strange things like that.”

Starfish facts

The correct name for Starfish is Sea Star.

They have no blood, no brain and can live up to 35 years.

They can regenerate and they eat ‘inside out’.

There are around 2,000 species of the creatures which cannot survive in fresh water.