Woman goes to Petco. Then she sees a starfish attacking a $60 fish

A woman's trip to Petco took an unexpected turn when she saw a starfish attacking a fish. Her viewers were shocked by the starfish's behavior and asked what the creatures usually consume.

In a viral TikTok video with 1.1 million views, Camryn Bryant (@camryn.bryant) captured the slow-paced attack in a fish tank.

“POV you go to see the fish at Petco and witness a starfish EATING another fish,” the TikToker wrote in the video's on-screen text.

The woman pointed out that there was a significant price difference between the starfish and the fish it was attacking, which made the situation more shocking for some viewers.

She zoomed her camera in on a fish with a $60.00 price tag pinned against the wall of the tank by the $20.00 starfish. There was also a dead fish in the tank and an additional tiny purple fish swimming all by itself.

“Kinda feel bad for them, to be honest,” Camryn said. “This tank is looking a little rough.”

What are starfish?

Starfish, which are also known as sea stars or “asteroids,” are usually seen in shallow water. They're closely related to sand dollars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and sea lillies.

Sea stars eat coral, sponges, shellfish and algae. They are aggressive predators that also consume clams and mussels. Sometimes, they even eat other sea stars.

That's not the strangest part about them, though.

How do starfish move and eat?

Sea stars are mobile creatures. They do not just sit around on rocks. On each of the creature's five arms, there are up to 15,000 “tube feet,” which allow them to walk. These tiny feet also secrete a glue-like substance that allows them to stick onto surfaces such as rocks and tank walls. This keeps sea stars from getting washed away by the ocean.

Whenever they are ready to move, their bodies secrete a solvent that dissolves the substance, which allows them to capture prey.

Sea stars have a particular digestive system that consists of a two-part stomach. When a sea star captures its prey, it positions its entire body on top of it and then extends its stomach onto it. Then the creature's stomach oozes digestive enzymes onto the prey.

These enzymes break the prey's flesh down. When the flesh is broken down enough, the sea star pulls its stomach inward along with its catch. The rest of the digestive process then happens inside of the sea star's stomach.

How did viewers respond?

A few viewers who saw the post thought the sea star should cost more. Some jokingly referenced the sea star capturing its prey and implied that it should increase the creature's overall value.

“The starfish said I'm worth more now bih,” one person commented.

“Well hes no longer a $20 starfish, more like an $80 starfish now,” another person said. Petco sells a variety of sea stars. In 2026, prices range from $17.99 to $81.49.

Others expressed shock after seeing the attack.

“I was today years old when I found out starfish eat fish,” one person said.

Buzz News reached out to Petco and Bryant via email for more information.

@camryn.bryant I have never seen this in my life I thought they ate algae or something… #starfish #seacreatures #petco #whatishappening #eating ♬ sonido original – Torres prime