Brittle stars, also called serpent stars or ophiuroids, are echinoderms of the class Ophiuroidea. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomotion, generally having five long, slender, whip-like arms that can reach up to 60 centimeters in length in the largest specimens.
Facts
Classification
DietDetritivore or Scavenger 1 System (Realm) Living or Extinct Scientific Name Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Ophiuroidea
In Biome
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Brittle star
system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomotion.
Section: Human relations
Even if some species have blunt spines, no brittle star is known to be dangerous, nor venomous. The brittle star's only means of defense are crawling or discarding an arm.
Infobox: taxon
Ophiuroidea
Article text
Ophiuroids are generally scavengers or detritivores.
In Group: Brittle Stars and Basket Stars (Ophiuroidea), Lead
Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (from Latin ophiurus 'brittle star'; from Ancient Greek ὄφις (óphis) 'serpent' and οὐρά (ourá) 'tail'; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea.
In Biome: Marine, Article text: "Ophiuroids can be found today in all of the majo"
Ophiuroids can be found today in all of the major marine provinces, from the poles to the tropics.
View the Source2. Brittle star (Wikipedia)
Wikidata: Ophiuroidea
- Wikidata Q59256, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Child Taxon Of: Echinodermata, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
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