First, starfish will align the prey such as mussels to the center using their arms and tube feet.
Now the starfish will start feeding by extending its cardiac stomach out of its mouth over the prey. This cardiac stomach will release digestive enzymes on the prey and then will start absorbing the prey’s body.
The food gets partially digested externally and the cardiac stomach is drawn back into the body.
The further digestion of food occurs in the second stomach i.e, pyloric.
In this way, starfish eats its prey.
