Fish Id: A Guide To East Coast Fishes

Starfish ,Common North Atlantic Asterias forbesi or A. vulgaris

Starfish crawl along the bottom in search of their two favorite foods, bivalve shellfish and live coral. Starfish are actually quite strong for their size. They cling to rocks on the ocean body using parts called tube feet. These tube feet and muscles in the arms of the starfish are strong enough to allow it to actually pry open living clams. The starfish then flood the clam shell with digestive juices, and literally stick their stomach into contact with the inside of the clam, absorbing the nutrients. One of the most interesting qualities of the starfish is it's ability to regenerate; cutting a starfish in half will not kill it, but will instead eventually result in two starfish regenerated out of the cut pieces. It's not uncommon to find these washed up on the local beaches, but we found this one while out clamming.
This specimen provided by Dave Busza

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