Jul 25, 2021
These brittle stars in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary look like they're finishing up an intense game of twister!
Brittle stars are known as seafloor ecosystem engineers for their role in reshaping sediment on the ocean floor when they twist and coil their arms to move, which affects the distribution of other species. Brittle stars are also important in the food web providing nutrition to fish, sea stars, and crabs. (Photo: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA. Image description: A group of brittle stars resting on top of a brain coral.)
