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watch a starfish's tube feet pry open a mussel's shell and extrude its stomach onto the mussel

watch a starfish's tube feet pry open a mussel's shell and extrude its stomach onto the mussel

Starfish preying upon a mussel.
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Transcript

NARRATOR: Starfishes prey upon shellfish, coral polyps, and even other starfishes.

This starfish is slowly wrapping its arms around a mussel.

It humps its body over the mussel and attaches its tube feet to the mussel's shells,
pulling and pulling until the mussel weakens.

As the shells separate, the starfish opens its mouth and extrudes its stomach onto the mussel. The prey is partially digested externally.

The stomach is then retracted, and digestion is completed inside the body. The indigestible mussel shell is discarded.
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