Don’t touch me I’m fragile!
Brittle Star Lives in the Atlantic Ocean around coastal areas where water is shallow and there are lots of rocks for shelter. They can be found from Norway all the way to the Cape of Good Hope. if you are rock pooling in the UK keep your eyes peeled as you may come across these types of starfish but make sure not to touch them as they are very delicate animals.
A Brittle Star has a small round body shaped like a disk. They have five long arms which are almost five times as long as their body. These legs are spiny and very delicate and can easily be broken The upper disk surface has a 5-rayed pattern of spines. This species is very varied in colour, commonly brown or grey however if you look in our corals tank you may see an elusive red brittle star.
Their arms are very important to their survival as they will sit on the bottom of the seabed and lift their arms up into the current to catch plankton. If they are in danger or a stressful situation they will shed sections of their arms.
Type
Sea Star: Delicate intricate sea star
What do they eat?
Plankton
Size
Max 30cm
Water Type
Salt Water
Where are we?
Atlantic Ocean
