Animal Profiles
Brittle stars

Brittle star

Ophiuroidea

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

Brittle stars have a central disc and long flexible arms. This account follows the common brittle star, a seabed animal that raises its arms to collect suspended food from moving water.

Common brittle star (Ophiothrix fragilis), the representative described here.

Common brittle star (Ophiothrix fragilis), the representative described here.

Bernard Picton · CC BY-SA

At a glance

Location
Ophiothrix fragilis is the representative described here. It occupies eastern Atlantic and neighbouring coastal waters. Rocky and mixed seabeds provide crevices, and strong currents carry food past the animals.
Habitat
Coast
Diet
Filter feeder
Food
Detritus, diatoms and other planktonic material supply food.

Classification

Common name
Brittle star
Browse group
Brittle stars
Scientific name or taxon
Ophiuroidea
Taxon rank
class
Source classification
Ophiuroidea

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • It has five slender arms.
  • Its colour varies considerably.
  • It can form dense seabed aggregations.

Habitat and range

Ophiothrix fragilis is the representative described here. It occupies eastern Atlantic and neighbouring coastal waters. Rocky and mixed seabeds provide crevices, and strong currents carry food past the animals.

Appearance and adaptations

Five long slender arms radiate from a small central disc. Spines cover the arms, while colours and patterns vary considerably. Dense groups can form extensive brittle-star beds.

Diet and behaviour

Detritus, diatoms and other planktonic material supply food. Raised arms pass collected particles towards the mouth. Animals often hide by day and become more exposed while feeding at night.

Sources

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