Basket Star

ocean creature · arms · weird shape

Lives on the ocean floor. Basket stars hang out in deep, cold waters where they grab onto rocks and coral with their crazy branching arms.

Arms that split and curl. Unlike regular brittle stars with five simple arms, basket stars have arms that branch again and again, creating hundreds of tiny twisted tentacles that look like spaghetti.

Filters food from water. Basket stars stretch out their arms to catch tiny plankton and food particles floating in the ocean current, almost like fishing with a net made of their own body.

Hides in the daytime. These shy creatures usually curl up in a ball during the day to stay safe, then unfurl their arms at night to feed.