The complete digestive system of the starfish includes a mouth on the oral surface. A short esophagus leads to the large, folded cardiac stomach and subsequently to the smaller pyloric stomach, a short intestine, and the anus. A pair of extremely large digestive glands is present in each of the starfish s arms. The digestive glands are connected to the pyloric stomach by ducts. Digestion is completed in the pyloric stomach, and the food molecules are absorbed into the wall of the stomach.
Food distribution is done by the fluid within the coelom.
The coelom is large and extends into each arm of the starfish. The lining of the coelom has cilia. These beat to circulate the fluid of the coelom. Food molecules diffuse or are actively transported from the wall of the pyloric stomach into the coelomic fluid. The churning of the fluid distributes food molecules to all parts of the starfish.