Brittle Star
Ophiuroidea
A small disc with five whip-thin arms that thrash and snap off when handled.
- Typical size
- 2–8 in across
- How often it turns up
- Common under structure
- Collecting
- Protected, do not collect
- Handling
- Photograph and release
Living beach animals should be photographed and left where they are. Many are protected, and most cannot survive being moved.
How to tell it apart
- Central disc clearly separate from the arms
- Long, flexible, snake-like arms
- Arms break easily
Found one?
Photograph it and BeachNut will rank the likely matches, then log it to your collection.
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