dylactis anemones. 4.2 PredatorsPredators known to consume a lot of brittle stars are bottom dwelling fish such as dab, American plaice, haddock and Norway lobsters. These predators do not generally consume the entire brittle star but get their arm as the brittle star will break off it’s own arm as a defense mechanism.5.0 EvolutionScientists speculate that the lack of Precambrian fossils of echinoderms indicate that in earlier years they lacked a calcite skeleton and thus did not fossilize. Ancient echinoderms exhibited a variety of bizarre body forms, the earliest forms seem to have been experimenting with different body forms and feeding mechanisms. They were adapted to life on hard or Soft Ocean floor and evolved the burrowing habit. Anatomy and paleontology studies suggest that they may have developed from a crinoidlike ancestor.6.0 ConclusionIn conclusion the brittle starfish is a very unique organism, as it possesses the following characteristics: Will break off it’s own arms as a defense mechanism towards predators, the predator will eat the arm and the brittle starfish will regrow the arm. Has evolved over the years to develop a spinal chord. Some brittle starfish are predators and actually capture and eat the following shrimp, plankton, squid and fish. Has a water vascular system that consists of fluid-filled vessels that are pushed out from the body surface as tube feet, and other structures, which is used in sensory perception. Will aggregate in large numbers on coral, off fast moving current so that they can work as a team to capture plankton that gets swept through the current. One brittle star captures the plankton with a couple arms and uses the remaining arms to hold on to another brittle star so that it won’t be swept away.Who would have thought that the brittle starfish could be so complex?7.0 Pictures7.1 Structures of The Brittle Star 7.2 Di...
