brittle stars
Five-armed marine invertebrates
Brittle stars are marine animals related to starfish, with a central disk and five long, slender arms that move in a snakelike fashion.
Unlike starfish, their arms are sharply distinct from the body and break off easily when threatened—hence "brittle." They live on ocean floors worldwide, often hiding under rocks or in crevices.
- armsUpper body limbs
- echinodermsSpiny-skinned marine invertebrates
- spinesStiff, pointed projections
- pentaradial symmetryFive-part circular body structure
- breaking offHalting abruptly mid-action
regeneration · ossicles · tube feet · invertebrate · fragile · Cambrian explosion · seafloor · tentacles · fossil record · serpent · tide pools · tidal zone · coral · coiling · reef · wriggling · plankton · ocean
brittle starssea urchins
Spiny spherical marine invertebrates
sea cucumbers · starfish · sea stars · sand dollars · sea lilies
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