Starfish, or sea stars as they are more accurately called, are marine animals that inhabit ocean beds throughout the world.
Nearly 2,000 species exist. Although the five-arm species is the most common, some sea stars have as many as 40 arms.
Most are carnivores, using specialized organs to feed on mussels, clams and other slow-moving organisms.
Carnivorous starfish feed on clams, oyster, mussels and snails as well as on injured fish.
A starfish wraps itself around the mollusk, then uses its tiny, suctioned feet to overpower the muscle that holds the bivalve closed, opening the shell and exposing the organism.
Then it pushes its stomach out of its mouth, inside the shell and around the organism to begin digestion. It withdraws its stomach back into its body to finish digestion.