--- title: "Common Starfish (Asterias rubens) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "A headless starfish that pries open mussels with its suction feet, then pushes its stomach inside the shell to digest them." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/common-starfish-1.webp" published: "2026-10-10" updated: "2026-10-10" --- # Common Starfish (*Asterias rubens*) > **Status**: Checked against 2 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: A headless starfish that pries open mussels with its suction feet, then pushes its stomach inside the shell to digest them. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Glacial Ambient & Drone Soundscapes // Bohren & der Club of Gore, "Midnight Black Earth" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/4RWPfyAtyDtA0zebsL2pqc) > **Vibe Match**: It moves at an average of six inches per minute and feeds by pushing its stomach into a mussel once the gap is under 0.1 mm. Bohren's doom jazz crawls at the same pace, a chord every few seconds and nothing hurried. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Asterias rubens* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Not Evaluated ([IUCN Red List](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)) - **Superpower**: Pushes its stomach into a mussel shell and digests the meal inside - **Habitat**: Rocky shores and seabeds of the north-east Atlantic, from Arctic Norway to Senegal, from the shore down to 650 m - **Diet**: Molluscs, worms, other echinoderms and carrion - **Tags**: invertebrate, regeneration, benthic, tide-pool, ocean, bizarre-anatomy ## Natural History & Behavior ## A stomach that leaves the body The common starfish (*Asterias rubens*) has no head and no jaws or teeth. Its mouth is on the underside, where the grooves from its five arms meet. So how does it eat a mussel? It grips the shell with its tube feet, the tiny sucker-tipped feet that cover its body. Then it pulls. Once it opens a gap of less than 0.1 mm, it everts its stomach lobes into the shell, turning its stomach inside out. The meal is digested right there in the mussel. With no teeth, the starfish waits until the prey is a soft mass before it pulls its stomach back in. > **Arms that grow back** > *Asterias rubens* can regenerate an arm within 1 to 2 years. ## Size, age and range It is the most common and familiar starfish in the north-east Atlantic. It may grow up to 52 cm across, but 10 to 30 cm is usual. The colour varies, though it is usually orange, pale brown or violet, and deep-water animals are pale. A review of its biology gives a lifespan of seven to eight years, citing a 1972 study. The same review lists 5 to 10 years in its table. The species is abundant from Arctic Norway down the Atlantic coasts to Senegal, and is only found occasionally in the Mediterranean. It lives from the shore down to depths of 650 m. It is found on all British and Irish coasts, especially among beds of mussels and barnacles. ## Smell, light and a slow crawl It has a well-developed sense of smell, with preferences and avoidances. It moves into a water current, and moves harder into it when living prey such as a mussel is nearby. It can also sense light: at the end of each arm sits an eye spot. It eats a wide range of living prey and carrion, including molluscs, worms and other echinoderms. The review also notes that some other seabed animals avoid it. They can detect it as it releases a surface-active saponin, a soapy chemical, from its body surface. It is no sprinter. Animal Diversity Web puts its average pace at six inches per minute in a straight line. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can a common starfish survive losing an arm? Yes. A review of the species says individuals can survive the loss of one or more arms, and that even a detached arm is likely to survive. *(Source: [MarLIN, the Marine Life Information Network]())* ### How many eggs does a female common starfish lay? Sexes are separate and fertilization happens in open water. A female of 140 mm across is estimated to spawn 2.5 million eggs, which develop into plankton-feeding larvae. *(Source: [MarLIN, the Marine Life Information Network]())* ### Is the common starfish dangerous to swimmers? No. Animal Diversity Web says it has no poisons or bites that could harm swimmers. Bivalves are a prominent food source for it. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web]())* ## Sources 1. [Common starfish (Asterias rubens). MarLIN, the Marine Life Information Network.]() 2. [Asterias rubens. Animal Diversity Web.]() *Published October 10, 2026. 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Bivalves are a prominent food source for it.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Asterias rubens", "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Asterias_rubens/", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Animal Diversity Web" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "MusicRecording", "name": "Midnight Black Earth", "byArtist": { "@type": "MusicGroup", "name": "Bohren & der Club of Gore" }, "genre": "Glacial Ambient & Drone Soundscapes", "url": "https://open.spotify.com/track/4RWPfyAtyDtA0zebsL2pqc" } ] } ```