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Basket Stars are one of the stranger
cousins of starfish. These creatures
look so plantlike that I don't know
how
long I have been diving without recognizing
these as living animals! These echinoderms
attach themselves
to a coral head or sea fan.
During the day it coils itself into a knotted
ball, but at night it stretches out all
of
it's legs into a basket-like shape, fishing
for plankton and other microscopic critters.
This photo shows a young Basket Star
approximately
three inches in diameter.
bravenet.com