File:Brittlestar 300.jpg

Ophioderma panamense (Ophiuroidea)

This image is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, taken or made as part of an employee's official duties. العربية ∙ čeština ∙ Deutsch ∙ Zazaki ∙ English ∙ español ∙ eesti ∙ suomi ∙ français ∙ hrvatski ∙ magyar ∙ italiano ∙ 日本語 ∙ 한국어 ∙ македонски ∙ മലയാളം ∙ Plattdüütsch ∙ Nederlands ∙ polski ∙ português ∙ română ∙ русский ∙ sicilianu ∙ slovenščina ∙ Türkçe ∙ Tiếng Việt ∙ 简体中文 ∙ 繁體中文 ∙ +/−

• Photo: Shane Anderson.
• Printing resolution: 300 DPI.
• Downloaded from http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/pgallery/pgchannel/living/living_13.html archive copy at the Wayback Machine.
• Leyend: Like the feather duster worm, the brittle star (Ophiuroidea sp.) also filters its food using its tube feet. They play a vital role in the food chain by eating organic wastes from the ocean floor, helping to recycle nutrients. Brittle stars are aptly named because their arms are fragile and break apart easily. Although it may loose an arm while escaping from a predator, this species has the ability to regenerate its missing limbs.