Translations:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Nature/Marine Invertebrates/9/en

e. Brittle Star or Serpent Star

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  Green brittle star
  (Ophiarachna sp.)
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  reticulated brittle star
  (Ophionereis reticulata)
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  Giant red brittlestar
  Ophioderma sp.

Brittle stars are echinoderms, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea-floor using their flexible arms as "legs" for locomotion. The Brittle star generally have five long slender, whip-like arms which may reach up to 60 centimeters (2 feet) in length on the largest specimens.There are some 1,500 species of brittle stars living today, and they are largely found in deep waters more than 500 metres (1,650 feet) down.