Range: Cosmopolitan Habitat: Ocean floor Size: Up to 27.5 inches (70 cm) long including arms Diet: Plankton, jellyfish, fish larvae, and crustaceans Threats: Fish and crustaceans Life span: Thirty years or more

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about basket stars. Don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on new animals to discover. Basket stars were suggested by twitter user Jethro Reading. This was a fun animal to research and we hope you all think so, as well.

Basket stars are fancy brittle stars belonging to the Euryalida order. They share this order with animals commonly known as snake stars, but we’ll save them for another episode. There are nearly 200 species within the Euryalida order, and approximately ⅓ of them would qualify as “basket stars.” Basket stars are also sometimes referred to as the Shetland Argus, but we’re going to stick to basket star for this episode, besides, there’s still a lot more research to be made into basket star classification, so we’ll just try to keep it simple.

So, what sets a basket star apart from a brittle star? Well, if you’re not able to see the difference on screen, or your just listening instead of watching, the most obvious difference is the branching tendrils possessed by basket stars leaving brittle stars looking slightly exposed. Basket stars also tend to be bigger than brittle stars, and, in fact, the largest brittle star is a basket star species. This particular basket star (Gorgonocephalus eucnemis) can grow to be 27.5 inches (70 cm) in length including the legs, or 5.5 inches (14 cm) in length at the disk - the “disk” being the middle section of the animal from which the legs branch.

Basket stars typically have five sets of branching legs, but they can have more than that, too. These legs can be broken off to help in a hasty getaway from a predator. Predators to basket stars include fish and crustaceans, but don’t worry about their lost limbs because basket stars can regrow their legs - something they have in common with axolotls which we discussed in a previous episode.

Basket stars are found throughout all the world’s oceans and live at depths of just a few feet to well over 4,000 feet (approximately 1,200 m). Though they may seem slow, they can be quite agile and will move along the ocean’s floor using strong leg muscles. They’ll also grab on to sessile objects, such as rocks, and life forms, such as coral to find a good spot for catching a tasty meal. Basket stars eat a variety of foods including plankton, jellyfish, fish larvae, and even crustaceans. They’ll catch their food on their branching limbs equipped with hooks that snag morsels right from the water. Once caught, food will be passed directly into their mouth by sending their branching tendrils through their comb-like jaws.

This is similar to the sea apples we discussed in another episode of AFF. A basket star should be puffy throughout its center disk as this is where food is processed and eventually expelled. It’s great to be thicc when you’re a basket star! They hunt at night which is likely when they’re less easily spotted by potential predators. During the day they hide in crevasses. They’re poorly studied in the wild to which their superb hiding skills could be a contributing factor. In the lab, it’s been the norm that specimen must be damaged for study and classification since their skin is so tough, and many identifying features are found beneath it; however, some scientists have successfully x-rayed basket stars without the need for this kind of damage which could be a step in the right direction for basket star classification.

Basket stars come in colors of brown, yellow, white, pink and more. When ready to mate, it’s common for males and females to release sperm and eggs into the water column where they’ll be fertilized outside the body. Once ready to hatch, some species will come out as incredibly tiny adult-looking basket stars; other species will first undergo a larval stage before transforming into adults. Basket stars can also reproduce asexually via splitting where a piece of one individual can become separated from the original parent and form into a clone. Good thing for the fish eating broken off leg segments this process can take a bit longer than digestion. Plus, basket stars can outlive the average housecat by reaching more than 30 years of age.

For more facts on basket stars, be sure to browse the link in the description. Leave a comment with what you think about these crazy critters. Thank you so much for watching, and be sure to give a thumbs up for more Animal Fact Files.