Basket star
Gorgonocephalus eucnemis
- On view
- Into the Deep
- Animal type
- Invertebrates
- Ecosystem
- Deep sea
- Relatives
- Basket stars, brittle stars; Class: Ophiuroidea
- Diet
- Small benthic crustaceans and zooplankton
- Range
- Worldwide from 30 to 6,200 ft. (10–1,900 m)
- Size
- Up to 5.5 inches (14 cm) central disc diameter; at least 24 inches (60 cm) total diameter
Meet the basket star
A basket star depends on passing currents for food. It extends long arms and uncurls its branches to form an intricate net. Then it gathers a meal of tiny drifting animals, like small crustaceans and plankton.
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