Table of Contents
What is a brittle sea star?
Like starfish, brittle stars are echinoderms but are in the class Ophiuroidea rather than Asteroidea. Brittle stars have five long, skinny arms and a central disk containing a calcium carbonate skeleton and all of their internal organs.
What characteristics do brittle stars share?
Characteristics of brittle stars Characterized by radial symmetry with a central body from which five snakelike arms protrude. The arms are highly flexible. There is no replication of internal organs, just one set in the central disk. Compared to starfish, brittle stars have a much smaller central disc and no anus.
Why are brittle stars important?
Brittle stars play an important role in the Arctic food web. First, they are known to be seafloor ecosystem engineers. They reshape the seafloor sediment surface and influence the distribution of other seafloor species. They also provide nutrition to fish, sea stars and crab predators.
What animal eats brittle stars?
They have many predators, so brittle stars usually only come out at night. Creatures that snack on brittle stars include fish, crabs, hermit crabs, mantis shrimp and even sea stars and other brittle stars. This brittle star lives only in feather stars!
How are brittle stars patient predators?
How are brittle stars patient predators? They catch prey by waving arms and grab plankton in feathers when it floats by.
What is the difference between brittle stars and starfish?
Although brittle stars and starfish are closely related, they are completely different species. Each brittle star has a distinct central disk and five skinny, flexible arms. The central disk is made up of a skeleton of calcium carbonate and contains all the internal organs. Brittle stars’ arms twist and coil to help them move across the seafloor.
What do brittle stars do in a tank?
The brittle stars come out at night and scavenge all over the bottom of the tank and on the live rock looking for bits and pieces of things to eat. The brittle stars for the most part are rather good tank mates with fish, corals and other inverts. Some are quite cool looking, including the Tiger Striped Brittle Star varieties.
What does a brittlestar fish look like?
The Common brittlestar is usually a greyish-brown with paler bands on the arms, but it can be many different colours. Their fragile arms are often broken off if found in rockpools – a sign of past disturbance or predation.
Why do brittle stars have arms?
Brittle stars’ arms twist and coil to help them move across the seafloor. But that’s not the only thing their arms help with: Brittle stars can release one or more arms to escape predators. As long as a brittle star holds onto its central disk, they can still function and their limbs will regenerate. Did You Know?