Head to head
Common Sunstar vs Common Starfish
Common Sunstar
VS Common Starfish
The common sunstar and the common starfish are two starfish of the cool north-eastern Atlantic, but one looks like a sun and the other like the classic five-pointed star.
| Common Sunstar | Common Starfish | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Crossaster papposus | Asterias rubens |
| Relationship | A starfish, with a central disc and radiating arms | A starfish, with a central disc and radiating arms |
| Arms | Around 8 to 14 arms radiating from a broad central disc | Five tapering arms |
| Colour | Red or orange, with concentric rings of white and darker red around the centre, like a rising sun | Usually orange to brown on top and paler beneath, with a rough surface of tiny spines |
| Habitat | Rocky and gravelly seabeds, from the lower shore to deep water | Rocky shores, rock pools, and mussel beds, and down to deep water |
| Diet | Other starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and sometimes sea anemones and sponges | Mussels and other bivalves, barnacles, snails, and worms |
| Feeding method | Hunts other echinoderms on rocky and gravelly seabeds | Wraps around a mussel, pulls the shell open slightly with its tube feet, and pushes its stomach into the gap to digest the animal inside |
| Range and status | Cool North Atlantic and Arctic seas, from the lower shore to deep water, and Not Evaluated | Rocky shores, rock pools, and seabeds from the White Sea and Norway to West Africa, and Not Evaluated |
Common Sunstar vs Common Starfish: common questions
How many arms does each have?
The common sunstar has around 8 to 14 arms, while the common starfish has five.
Which one eats other starfish?
The common sunstar, which preys on other starfish, as well as sea cucumbers and urchins.
How does the common starfish eat a mussel?
It wraps around the mussel, pulls the shell open slightly with its tube feet, and pushes its stomach into the gap to digest the animal inside.