The nature of a starfish: ‘a disembodied head walking about on its lips’ | Helen Sullivan

Besides its underwater life, it is nothing like a fish: it can push its stomach out of its mouth and eat the inside of a clam

The thing about starfish is that you tend to forget the -fish part. But when you think about that, a lot of things come into focus. For example, the fact that besides its underwater life, it is nothing like a fish. For example: a starfish can push its stomach out of its mouth and eat the inside of a clam. Show me a fish that can do that.

The ones that are most common at the beaches near me feel as though they're cut from shark skin, smooth and rough at the same time. They have webbed arms, not clearly delineated ones, and are the size of a coin. They are dull browns and greens and blues.