Spiny starfish (Lat. Marthasterias glacialis). It may be found in a very wide range of habitats from sheltered muddy sites to fully exposed rockfaces. Specimens from sheltered sites are usually larger than those from exposed sites. It can grow to 70 cm (28 in) but a more usual size is 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in). It has a small central disc and five slender, tapering arms. Each arm has three longitudinal rows of conical, whitish spines, usually with purple tips, each surrounded by a wreath of pedicellariae.  The background colour is variable and may be brownish or greenish-grey, tinged with yellow or red and sometimes with purple at the tips of the arms. Is a predator and feeds mostly on bivalve molluscs and other invertebrates. When disturbed or stressed, this species will often shed one or more of its legs. Don’t worry they will grow back! Spiny starfish are often spotted with 3 or 4 normal legs and 1 or 2 small legs in the process of regrowing.