Feather Stars
CLASS CRINOIDEA
SPECIES OF Feather Stars
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ANATOMY OF Feather Stars
OVERVIEW
Feather stars are probably the most spectacular-looking echinoderms! They belong to the class Crinoidea, which means “lily-like” in Greek.
STARS OF A FEATHER!
Feather stars have many long, branched arms that look like a beautiful crown of feathers! While their cousins like the sea stars and brittle stars generally only have 5 arms, feather stars can have 10 or more arms!
FEEDING FEATHERS!
As filter feeders, feather stars use their feathery arms to gather plankton and small food particles drifting in the water, just like a feather duster! Like a tunnel or expressway, these food particles then travel down grooves or channels running along each arm until they reach the central mouth!
ROOTED TO THEIR HOME!
While most feather stars can move by crawling or swimming using their arms, many of them would rather settle down permanently once they find a nice place to live. That’s why they have “roots” known as cirri to anchor onto their chosen spot and prevent them from getting washed away by the waves!