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Spiny brittle star
ON EXHIBIT
At the Aquarium
Natural History
Those aren't worms, they're brittle stars, sea star cousins that bury themselves for protection. They leave an arm or two free to catch bits of food, but sometimes their wave hails a hungry fish.Fortunately, a star can't be tugged out by the arm. The arm snaps off, and a new one grows from the stump. At night, they stretch out to catch food particles, passing the bits down to the central mouth
Conservation
Used motor oil poured down the drain or on the ground winds up in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. No matter what the source, oil harms ocean animals. Each year, Americans illegally dispose of 220 million gallons of oil—twenty times the Exxon Valdez spill. The solution? Recycle the oil—it can be re-refined and reused.
Cool Facts
Brittle stars occur in incredible numbers on the sandy seafloor. In kelp forests near La Jolla in southern California, millions of them may carpet the seafloor in layers up to an inch thick!
Brittle stars live in an incredible range of water depths—from the shoreline down to 6,755 feet (2,059 m).
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Animal Facts
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ON EXHIBIT
- Scientific Name:
Ophiothrix spiculata
- Habitat:
Sandy Seafloor
- Animal Type:
Invertebrates
- Diet:
organic particles, small animals
- Size:
disc to .7 inches across (1.8 cm); arms 5 to 8 times disc size
- Range:
Northern California to Peru; also Galapagos Islands
- Relatives:
sea stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers; Phylum: Echinodermata
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