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Class: Ophiuroidea

Class: Ophiuroidea. Brittle Stars or Serpent Stars…. General Information. The most abundant echinoderms (about 2000 known species worldwide) Nocturnal Animals. Skeleton. Brittle stars have long flexible arms that attach to a central disk

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Class: Ophiuroidea

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  1. Class: Ophiuroidea Brittle Stars or Serpent Stars….

  2. General Information • The most abundant echinoderms (about 2000 known species worldwide) • Nocturnal Animals

  3. Skeleton • Brittle stars have long flexible arms that attach to a central disk • The central disk is usually less than 3 cm in diameter, but the arms can be up to 10 cm long • Two types of ossicles • Skeletal Ossicles • These form a series of scaly plates along the arms • Arm Ossicles • These are long, cylindrical plates that run through the center of each arm; they look like a row of vertebrae • The ossicles are attached by muscles that contract and produce a snake-like motion

  4. Protection • Brittle stars have a pretty cool way to protect themselves • When a predator captures a brittle star it breaks off the arm • The arm wriggles and the brittle star escapes • The lost arm quickly regenerates

  5. Feeding & Digestion • Eat detritus on the floor • Some curl their arms up to catch food suspended in the water • The tube feet move food to the mouth where it is then transported to the stomach • They have no anus, so they eject indigestible particles through their mouths

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