reported on within the following text, is the Brittle Stars. The Brittle Star is also called the serpent star and a common name for a large group of echinoderms closely related to the starfish. These organisms make up the class Ophiuroidea; another common name for ophiuroidea is snake stars. These organisms can be found in all oceans but are more abundant in the Tropics. Brittle stars can come in different colors. 2.0 General Features Their bodies have a central disk that is demarcated from five
, and Chia, F.S. (1983) Development, settling behavior, metamorphosis and pentacrinoid feeding and growth of the feather star Florometra serratissima. Marine Biology 73:319-323. Hendler, G. L., M. P. Kier, J. E. Miller, and D. L. Pawson. Class Ophiuroidea, pages 89-195 in Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, and Allies. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. 1995.
Echinoderms (scientific name Echinodermata) are a major group of only marine animals. The name comes from the Greek word for "spiny skin". There are about 7,000 species found usually on the sea floor in every marine habitat from the intertidal zone to the ocean depths (Marine Education Society of Australasia 1999-2015). They occur in various habitats from the intertidal zone down to the bottom of the deep sea trenches and from sand to rubble to coral reefs and in cold and tropical seas. Some echinoderms