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Starfish are star-shaped marine invertebrates that inhabit oceans around the world, from shallow coastal waters to the deepest depths possible. Starfish are incredibly unique animals, and most of them eat by turning their belly inside out through their mouth to devour their prey. There are about 2,000 species of starfish, including very poisonous ones. Aside from the poisonous and non-venomous starfish, there are a huge number of sizes, and the largest ones are much larger than you might expect. Here we will discover the largest starfish in the world in terms of diameter.
# 10 Biggest Starfish: North Pacific Starfish
The North Pacific starfish, also known as the Japanese common starfish, is found in shallow waters off the coast of Alaska, British Columbia, China, Japan, Korea, and Russia. North Pacific starfish can reach a maximum diameter of 19.5 inches. They are also invasive species in many other parts of the world and are among the 100 most aggressive species in the world. They have five arms covered with small thorns. North Pacific starfish are orange, yellow and red on the dorsal side, while at the bottom they are completely yellow. North Pacific starfish primarily eat shellfish, but occasionally eat crabs, shells and algae, and other starfish are their prime predators. Incredibly, if one of their arms is broken, a completely new starfish can grow out of it.
# 9 Biggest Starfish: Stimpson’s Sun Star
Stimpson’s solar stars, also known as striped solar stars, are large starfish and measure about 19.5 inches in diameter. They inhabit rocky seas up to 2,000 feet deep around Japan and on the American west coast from California to Alaska. Stimpson’s solar stars have eight to twelve branches and are named after their bright reddish-orange color. They have long and slender arms, each with two rows of tubular legs. Stimpson’s solar stars feed on sea cucumbers, brachiopods, and sea spray. Their main predator is the morning sun star.
# 8 Biggest Starfish: Red Cushion Sea Star
The red cushion starfish is also known as the West Indian starfish and has a diameter of about 20 inches. They live in the Caribbean and the western Atlantic Ocean, where they prefer shallow waters 120 feet high. In winter, they migrate to the sea to avoid rough waters. Red starfish on pillows come in red, orange, or yellow. They have a wide disc and usually five shoulders, although sometimes there are more. Red-cushioned starfish are omnivorous and feed on algae, sponges, and other small invertebrates.
# 7 Biggest Starfish: Spotted Star
Spotted stars get their name from their spotted appearance, which has shades of orange, brown, gray, or purple. They have five narrow arms that are often curved upward at the end and reach a maximum diameter of 20 inches. Spotted stars are found on the west coast of North America and in Bechevina Bay, where they occur on rocks at a depth of about 230 feet. They are powerful starfish that can use their legs to pull apart the two halves of a clam shell to insert their stomach into a crevice to eat. Morning sun stars, sunflower starfish and king crabs are their prime predators.
6. Largest starfish: Antarctic solar starfish.
The Antarctic solar starfish, or wolfhound starfish, is particularly distinctive as it has 40 to 45 thin, flexible beams and can reach 23.5 inches in diameter. They are usually pale orange or pinkish red in color, and their rays are covered with overlapping scales. Solar Antarctic starfish are found in the cold Antarctic waters at depths of about 1,800 feet. Solar Antarctic starfish usually sit on rocks and direct their rays in search of food, grabbing whatever passes by. However, most of their diet consists of small fish and invertebrates.
5. Largest starfish: giant starfish.
The giant starfish lives up to its name as a giant with a whopping 24 inches in diameter. Giant starfish are found on the west coast of North America, usually on rocks and near low tide. They usually have five broad arms and can be purple, yellow, orange, or brown. However, they are also covered in thick blue spines with white or purple tips on them, hence they get their other name – the giant spiked star. Giant starfish eat a variety of seashells, gastropods, and saucers. Their only predators are seabirds and sea otters.
4. Largest starfish: spiny starfish.
Thorny starfish are found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean at depths of up to 650 feet, where they prefer rocks and muddy areas. They have five thin temples and a 27-inch diameter. Each arm has three rows of white thorns with purple tips on them. They use their thorns for protection and help collect food. Spiny starfish feed mainly on molluscs and other small invertebrates.
# 3 Biggest Starfish: Pink Starfish
As the name suggests, pink starfish are usually pink in color. They have five fat arms and can reach 28 inches. Pink starfish are found in the Pacific northeast. They usually prefer shallower water off the coast – usually no deeper than 360 feet. They live on the seabed, where they often dig in the muddy bottom in search of prey using their tubular legs. Pink starfish can burrow up to 4 inches deep in the seabed in search of buried shellfish and then open them up. They are skilled hunters and often
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ght the larger sunflower starfish for food. Sheep crabs, sea otters, morning sun stars and seagulls are the main predators of pink starfish.
# 2 Biggest Starfish: Sunflower Starfish.
One of the largest starfish is the 39-inch sunflower starfish. Sunflower starfish have 16 to 24 sleeves and can be of almost any color. They live in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and feed on sea urchins, snails and shellfish. Kamchatka crab is their main predator, and incredible sunflower starfish can shed a hand if they need to quickly escape from predators. Luckily, their arms grow back within a few weeks! Unfortunately, although they were once found in abundance, the population of sunflower starfish has rapidly declined and they are now endangered.
# 1 Biggest Starfish: Midgardia Xandaros
The largest starfish in the world is Midgardia xandaros with a massive 53 inches diameter. These little-known starfish are especially unusual as they have a very small central disc, only 1 inch across, but extremely long arms. Midgardia xandaros they have twelve hands covered with thorns. They live at great depths in the Gulf of Mexico – about 2,000 feet deep. Because they live so deeply, very little is known about them and they have never been seen in their natural habitat.
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