STELLATE OBJECTS FOR THE
MICROSCOPE
by Brian Darnton & Wim van
Egmond
Brittle star
The brittlestar, an echinoderm related to the starfish. They live quite gregariously in groups, although the early part of their life as larvae is spent as part of the sea plankton, moving around looking for a suitable habitat. As adults, they may be found in sheltered bays under rocks at low tide or sieved out of sand from the low tide mark. This young brittlestar is only a centimetre long. More about Echinoderms and their larvae, which are totally different in appearance, can be found in the Gallery of Echinoderms