| The Top Ten Weirdest Echinoderms |
Click here if you don't know what an Echinoderm is. You poor pitiful creature.
We're going to run down some of the weirdest, coolest, and most mysterious of them all! Are you excited? I'm
excited! This guy might be excited! Without his blog, half of this page would never have been possible.
We're going to run down some of the weirdest, coolest, and most mysterious of them all! Are you excited? I'm
excited! This guy might be excited! Without his blog, half of this page would never have been possible.
| Enypniastes |
While most of the Holothurians are content to lie in the muck and eat anything within reach, the beautiful
abyssal genus Enypniastes are among the few cucumber to have adapted full-fledged swimming. Like many
deep sea invertebrates, the body is transparent and red tinged, a difficult combination for local predators to
distinguish from the surrounding water. If attacked, however, the tricky cuke can light up its outer layer of skin
and discard it, leaving the enemy to tangle with an empty decoy like a mugger and a knockoff watch.
abyssal genus Enypniastes are among the few cucumber to have adapted full-fledged swimming. Like many
deep sea invertebrates, the body is transparent and red tinged, a difficult combination for local predators to
distinguish from the surrounding water. If attacked, however, the tricky cuke can light up its outer layer of skin
and discard it, leaving the enemy to tangle with an empty decoy like a mugger and a knockoff watch.
| Colobocentrotus atratus |
These scaly, dome-shaped animals are actually a variety of sea urchin, sometimes called a "helmet" or
"shingle" urchin. Flattened, tile-like spines cover most of the upper surface, with a ring of paddle-shaped
spines around its base. This sturdy structure allows the sluggish algae-eater to withstand the roughest
waters of the Hawaiian islands, clinging to wave-battered rocks where softer creatures would be pulverized.
"shingle" urchin. Flattened, tile-like spines cover most of the upper surface, with a ring of paddle-shaped
spines around its base. This sturdy structure allows the sluggish algae-eater to withstand the roughest
waters of the Hawaiian islands, clinging to wave-battered rocks where softer creatures would be pulverized.
| Dermechinus horridus |
With a latin name meaning "horrible skinned urchin," the deep-sea Cactus urchin is the only urchin with a
height three times its width, the purpose of which is not entirely known. It has been theorized that
Dermechinus may be the first known "suspension feeding" urchin, meaning that it stands tall in the water to
trap plankton on its velcro-like body. Many brittle stars and especially the crinoids feed in this manner, and
the fuzzy secondary spines of horridus seem perfect for trapping small particles and ferrying them to the
mouth.
height three times its width, the purpose of which is not entirely known. It has been theorized that
Dermechinus may be the first known "suspension feeding" urchin, meaning that it stands tall in the water to
trap plankton on its velcro-like body. Many brittle stars and especially the crinoids feed in this manner, and
the fuzzy secondary spines of horridus seem perfect for trapping small particles and ferrying them to the
mouth.
| Credited to Dave Pawson, NMNH and NIWA |
| Hymenaster |
Commonly known as a "slime star" or even "snot star," this bizarre deep-sea starfish is capable of producing
large quantities of mucus when irritated, not unlike the multi-purpose goo of our beloved hagfish. Besides its
slimy superpowers, the star is little more than slime itself, with the softest, most gelatinous body of any
echinoderm, closer to that of a delicate jellyfish. Take it out of the water, and you're left with a puddle:
large quantities of mucus when irritated, not unlike the multi-purpose goo of our beloved hagfish. Besides its
slimy superpowers, the star is little more than slime itself, with the softest, most gelatinous body of any
echinoderm, closer to that of a delicate jellyfish. Take it out of the water, and you're left with a puddle:
| Labidiaster annulatus |
Here we have the Tyrannosaurus rex of starfish; up to two feet across with over thirty arms, known to capture
and devour even fast-moving crustaceans in its wicked tentacles. Its entire fuzzy-looking surface is actually a
carpet of pedicellariae; microscopic claws that snap shut like tiny bear-traps at the lightest touch:
and devour even fast-moving crustaceans in its wicked tentacles. Its entire fuzzy-looking surface is actually a
carpet of pedicellariae; microscopic claws that snap shut like tiny bear-traps at the lightest touch:
Thanks to millions of these microscopic torture devices, annulatus need only brush by its prey to latch onto it
like flypaper
like flypaper
| Podosphaeraster |
| Podosphaeraster is the most ball-shaped starfish in the world. BEHOLD: |
Why a ball-shaped starfish? We don't know. It's found buried in sediments near sea sponges. Why near sea
sponges? We don't know. There isn't a whole lot else to say, except that a perfectly ball-shaped, nearly
featureless animal is fairly rare anywhere in nature, let alone when we're dealing with animals that normally
have a bunch of arms. If this were a top ten list of the most ball-shaped animals, Podosphaeraster would
have to be disqualified for unfair advantage.
sponges? We don't know. There isn't a whole lot else to say, except that a perfectly ball-shaped, nearly
featureless animal is fairly rare anywhere in nature, let alone when we're dealing with animals that normally
have a bunch of arms. If this were a top ten list of the most ball-shaped animals, Podosphaeraster would
have to be disqualified for unfair advantage.
| Gorgonocephalus |
Named after the mythical snake-haired gorgon, these deepwater predators - commonly called "basket stars"
- may have hundreds of repeatedly branching arms, all of them lined with wicked little barbs. Spread out like
a net in the water's current, their thorns ensnare the jointed bodies of crustaceans and pass them to the
mouth. Think of it as a blind, brainless, thousand-legged spider that's also its own web. Also the web is made
out of barbed wire.
- may have hundreds of repeatedly branching arms, all of them lined with wicked little barbs. Spread out like
a net in the water's current, their thorns ensnare the jointed bodies of crustaceans and pass them to the
mouth. Think of it as a blind, brainless, thousand-legged spider that's also its own web. Also the web is made
out of barbed wire.
| Xyloplax |
Even more mysterious than the sphere guy, the tiny Xyloplax or "sea daisies" have such unconventional
anatomy that they were originally placed in their own distinct group, but are currently considered closest to
the Asteroidea. With a single ring of tube-feet and an extremely rudimentary or even absent gut, it is
completely unknown how these creatures reproduce, develop or feed, but they appear to be found
exclusively on pieces of decaying wood that drift down to the abyss. You might think that evolving to eat wood
is the dumbest possible move for a deep-sea organism, but even science underestimated just how much of
the stuff washes into the sea on a daily basis. Xyxloplax is in fact only one form of sea life completely
dependant on deep-ocean "wood falls."
anatomy that they were originally placed in their own distinct group, but are currently considered closest to
the Asteroidea. With a single ring of tube-feet and an extremely rudimentary or even absent gut, it is
completely unknown how these creatures reproduce, develop or feed, but they appear to be found
exclusively on pieces of decaying wood that drift down to the abyss. You might think that evolving to eat wood
is the dumbest possible move for a deep-sea organism, but even science underestimated just how much of
the stuff washes into the sea on a daily basis. Xyxloplax is in fact only one form of sea life completely
dependant on deep-ocean "wood falls."
| Ophiarachna incrassata and Stegnaster inflatus |
Our top two weirdos are going to be sharing a spot, for even though they're remarkable for the same
reasons, it's impossible to pick which one is the cooler variation. Beneath their innocent, completely typical
brittlestar and sea-star exteriors lurks a treachery shared by few other predators.
reasons, it's impossible to pick which one is the cooler variation. Beneath their innocent, completely typical
brittlestar and sea-star exteriors lurks a treachery shared by few other predators.
At night, O. incrassata raises itself on its arms and lies in wait for a small animal, usually a fish, to seek
shelter beneath it. When prey is detected, it instantly twists its disc and twirls its arms together, forming a
spiral prison of interlocking spines. Lowering its body without widening the gaps, it pins its victim against the
sea floor and begins to devour it - the old "flesh eating gazebo" trick.
shelter beneath it. When prey is detected, it instantly twists its disc and twirls its arms together, forming a
spiral prison of interlocking spines. Lowering its body without widening the gaps, it pins its victim against the
sea floor and begins to devour it - the old "flesh eating gazebo" trick.
Our sea star, on the other hand, is more of a flesh-eating igloo. by raising the thick webbing between its
arms, it creates an enticing place for fish and crustacea to hide themselves from predators, employing irony
to the deadliest degree in the animal kingdom. Snapping shut its "doors," it creates a hermetically sealed
chamber and surrounds the helpless prey with its gelatinous stomach, digesting it alive - including its bones
or exoskeleton - over the course of days.
arms, it creates an enticing place for fish and crustacea to hide themselves from predators, employing irony
to the deadliest degree in the animal kingdom. Snapping shut its "doors," it creates a hermetically sealed
chamber and surrounds the helpless prey with its gelatinous stomach, digesting it alive - including its bones
or exoskeleton - over the course of days.
