Common Sea Star
Asterias rubens
Animalia
UNCOMMON
Stats
- Lifespan
- 5-10 yrs
- Size
- Medium
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Activity
- Cathemeral
- Social
- Solitary
- Biome
- Temperate ocean
- Range
- Northeast Atlantic
- Movement
- Walking
- Breeding
- Egg-laying
- Defense
- Armor
- Status
- Uncommon
About
A five-armed sea star widespread across the north-east Atlantic, typically 10–30 cm across, that pries open mussels by gripping the two halves with hundreds of tube feet until the bivalve's adductor muscle finally tires.
Life cycle
- 1.juvenileA juvenile star settles onto the seafloor after its larval phase and begins crawling and feeding.
- 2.adultFully grown, with adult arm count and pattern.
Learn more
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Echinodermata
- Class
- Asteroidea
- Order
- Forcipulatida
- Family
- Asteriidae
- Genus
- Asterias
- Species
- Asterias rubens