Species group · Starfish
Starfish
WAnimals has 7 species of starfish, spread across 5 families (Acanthasteridae, Asteriidae, Astropectinidae, Echinasteridae, Oreasteridae).
- 7 species
- 5 families
- 112 countries
- 92 parks
- Length
- 10 cm – 1 m
- Lifespan
- 7 – 20 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 7.
All 7 species of starfish on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Common Starfish
Asterias rubens
Crown-of-thorns
Acanthaster planci
Red Starfish
Echinaster sepositus
Ochre Stars
Pisaster ochraceus
Sunflower Sea Star
Pycnopodia helianthoides
Horned Sea Star
Protoreaster nodosus
Red Comb Star
Astropecten aranciacus
Conservation status
1 especies in this group están en alguna categoría de riesgo real según la UICN.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 112 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
- Al Hoceima2 species
- Aldabra2 species
- Alonissos y Esporadas del Norte2 species
- Amami Gunto2 species
- Ao Phang Nga2 species
- Archipielago de Bazaruto2 species
- Archipielago de Cabrera2 species
- Arcipelago Toscano2 species
- Arrábida2 species
- Arrecifes de Tubbataha2 species
- Asinara2 species
- Bali Barat2 species
- Costa de los Acantilados (Cabo San Vicente)diving
- Islas Berlengasdiving
- Islas Cíesdiving
- Sesimbradiving
- Amorgos (pecio Le Grand Bleu)diving
- Bodrum (pecio del avión)diving
Did you know…
It can regrow lost arms completely, and an arm with part of the central disc attached can regenerate a whole animal.
From Common Starfish
It digests its prey by pushing its stomach out of its own body.
From Common Starfish
It feeds mainly on mussels and other bivalve molluscs.
From Common Starfish
It feeds on coral polyps and, without natural predators, its numbers can explode and badly damage entire reefs.
From Crown-of-thorns
It can carry dozens of arms, far more than the five most starfish have, and its spines hold a toxin that irritates human skin.
From Crown-of-thorns
A single adult can consume several square metres of living coral a year, and in population outbreaks there are tens of thousands on one reef.
From Crown-of-thorns
It can fully regrow a lost arm, and a fragment carrying part of the central disc is enough to rebuild an entire animal.
From Red Starfish
Its striking red, which at the surface looks like the worst possible camouflage, turns dark grey from a few metres down, where red light no longer reaches.
From Red Starfish