Brittle stars are echinoderms with a skeleton of embedded calcite ossicles (little bones) which fuse to form an armor plate. The plates are covered by the epidermis, so that you can tell where the plates/ossicles are, but you cannot see them directly.
Some brittle stars breed asexually. Most brittle stars are either male or female however some species are hermaphroditic.
Brittle stars have long, flexible arms that help them move quickly, while basket stars have branched arms that are used for filter feeding. Brittle stars typically have five arms, while basket stars can have 10 or more arms that branch out extensively. Additionally, basket stars are usually found in deeper waters compared to brittle stars.
The skeleton is on the outside of a sea star they on the type of echinoderm. In Sea Stars and brittle stars the skeleton is small ossicles that move together creating flexible joints.
no
Because brittle stars are very fragile. Interestingly, Brittle stars use this fragility to defend themselves by easily losing arm segments or even entire arms. This strategy works because they are also able to regenerate these lost parts. They use their brittle quality and regenerative powers, in a way similar to that of some lizards, who lose part of their tails to confuse, appease, and evade predators.Brittle stars, Ophiuroids, are echinoderms, closely related to basket stars and distantly to star fish, sand dollars, and urchins.
With there arms.
kanas
They make up the skeleton and protect internal structures.
The biggest threat for brittle stars is habitat destruction caused by activities such as bottom trawling, dredging, and pollution. These activities can disrupt their environment, destroy their food sources, and impact their ability to reproduce and thrive.
Yes, brittle stars are cold-blooded animals, meaning they cannot regulate their body temperature internally. Instead, they rely on external sources of heat to maintain their body temperature.
Brittle stars have predators such as larger fish, crabs, sea turtles, and some marine mammals. These predators feed on brittle stars by crushing or grabbing them with their strong jaws or claws. Brittle stars use their regenerative abilities to regrow lost limbs as a defense mechanism against predators.
Yes they do.