The sea star filter feeds upon detritus and plankton floating in the water, and uses currents made by sponges or coral to make this process easier.

The sea stars migrate to warm, shallow water during the breeding season.

The sea star can go through regeneration if the disc is split in half, or even if a ray is cut off.

It has slender five rays that taper evenly to tips that are connected by a central disc.

On the oral side, the rays are smooth and have an ambulacral groove that contains two tube foot rows.

On the dorsal side, the rays are rough with groupings of spinelets, each one have three to six glassy points.

This seawater is transported through a vascular tube system, and delivers nutrients to the different organs and helps in gas exchange.

Henricia sanguinolenta has two stomachs, a small intestine, and a rectum leading to an anus.

Once the prey is enveloped, it then retracts back into the disc, and transfers it to the pyloric stomach for further digestion.

The material that is left is secreted through a small anus on the oral side of the disc.

Waste ammonia is transported to the tips of the papulae using phagocytic cells, and is then excreted.

The sea star is usually seen with sponges and coral, using the currents they make to feed upon detritus.

The larvae stay in a dome shape created by the female's arms until they are ready to go into the ocean on their own.

Henricia sanguinolenta also doesn't react to the fluid of Asterias forbesi, which is toxic to most other sea stars.

The sea star is not harmful to humans or the economy, and only may slightly affect the tourist industry with its bright colors.