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Common Brittlestar

Brittlestars may lose their delicate-looking arms to predators — but don’t worry! It’s actually a defense mechanism that allows the brittlestar to escape predators, and it can later regenerate the lost limb.

 

The common brittlestar can be found off coasts throughout the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from the British Isles down to South Africa. Its size ranges widely, with its five spined legs spanning 1-10 centimeters (0.4 -4 inches). Coloration varies as well, ranging from white to red and brown — all colors which help the brittlestar blend into the ocean floor where it lives. Since these animals have many predators, including fish and starfish, it’s important that they stay hidden.

Common brittlestars often come together in large groups on sandy or rocky seabeds, sometimes up to 2,000 individuals, where they hide by day and feed at night. They are passive feeders, lifting their legs in the water to catch plankton, microalgae, and other particles in the water to eat. Adults will help juveniles feed — even if the younger brittlestars are not their own offspring — by allowing them to latch onto the adult with their hooked arms until the juvenile can feed on its own.

 

 

Common brittlestar populations have not been thoroughly evaluated by scientists, but they are believed to be relatively abundant. However, some research shows that ocean acidification may impact larvae size and development, which could pose a threat to the species in the future as the world’s oceans become more acidic.

 

 

Taking steps to tackle the climate crisis — like stopping the expansion of offshore drilling — can curb the increasing carbon dioxide in our planet’s atmosphere that is driving ocean acidification. Learn more about how Oceana campaigns to protect our climate here.

 

 

  • Animal Diversity Web 
  • Dupont, S., Havenhand, J., Thorndyke, W., Peck, L., & Thorndyke, M. (2008). Near-future level of CO2-driven ocean acidification radically affects larval survival and development in the brittlestar Ophiothrix fragilis. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 373, 285-294.  doi: 10.3354/meps07800 

 

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