{"url":"https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-starfish","data_as_of":"2026-11-11T10:46:03.145Z","schema_version":"0.1.0-fixture","summary":"The common starfish (Asterias rubens) is a species in the family Asteriidae, order Forcipulatida. It has been recorded in 38 countries, most often in United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany.","taxon":{"id":7765831,"slug":"common-starfish","rank":"species","scientific_name":"Asterias rubens","authorship":"Linnaeus, 1758","preferred_common_name":"Common starfish","common_names":[{"name":"Gemeiner Seestern","lang":"de"},{"name":"gewone zeester","lang":"nl"},{"name":"vanlig sjöstjärna","lang":"sv"},{"name":"نجم البحر الشائع","lang":"ar"},{"name":"Красный астериас","lang":"ru"},{"name":"Common starfish","lang":"en"},{"name":"Zeester","lang":"nl"},{"name":"Common sea star","lang":"en"},{"name":"Estrella de mar común","lang":"es"},{"name":"Étoile de mer commune","lang":"fr"},{"name":"Estrela-do-mar-comum","lang":"pt"}],"synonyms":["Asteracanthion distichum","Asteracanthion rubens","Asteracanthion violaceus","Asteracanthium distichum","Asterias attenuata","Asterias clathrata","Asterias distichum","Asterias fabricii","Asterias gigantea","Asterias glacialis","Asterias holsatica","Asterias 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Belonging to the family Asteriidae, 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 brownish in color, and sometimes violet; specimens found in deeper waters are pale. 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