Royal Starfish

Description:

Dark blue to purple and orange marginal plates with supermarginal white spines.

Habitat:

Common at 70-100ft along the southeast coast of the United States.

Notes:

Astropecten articulatus is a carnivore and feeds on molluscs, which it catches with its arms and then takes to the mouth. The prey is then trapped by the long, moving prickles around the mouth cavity. Unlike other starfish, it swallows food whole.