The Common Starfish (Asterias rubens), has five arms and many rows of tube feet on the underside. It is capable of pushing its stomach out of its central mouth which is beneath the body. This is to digest prey. If a starfish was cut into 5 equal sections where they all had part of the stomach and a leg, theoretically these five pieces could grow into 5 new starfish.
It is the most common and familiar starfish in the north-east Atlantic and Indian Ocean. It has five arms and usually grows to between 10–30 cm across, although larger specimens (up to 52 cm across) are known. The Common Starfish is usually orange or brown, and sometimes violet; deep-water specimens are pale. The Common Starfish is to be found on rocky and gravelly substrates. It reproduces asexually.