PHOTOS: Thousands of starfish wash ashore South Carolina beaches

Thousands of small starfish washed ashore during low tide on Garden City Beach, S.C. Residents and tourists rushed play in the mass of wriggling starfish, collecting some and putting handfuls of others back into the water. According to Jessica Miller, Naturalist at Fripp Island Resort, the island sees mass starfish strandings every winter that sees unusually cold temperatures. “All those little marine animals that are ectothermic (cold blooded) like starfish, sea cucumbers, and snails can lose mobility and get dislodged from the sea floor if it gets too cold,” Miller said. She said groups of jellyfish are washed to shore by the masses for the same reason. She added that the stranded animals may or may not be dead when they wash ashore, but it’s nothing to worry about.