Brittle Star

Brittle Star (Ophiocomidae sp.)

The Brittle Star in this photo could be a juvenile Angular Brittle Star or Wendt's Brittle Star.

Brittle Stars are among the most common creatures on the Bonaire reef, but they are also some of the hardest to identify. They spend most of the day hidden inside sponges or under rubble, only coming out at night to feed. Many different colors and variations exist, and little is known about how to tell them apart, making identification even more difficult.

At night, the Brittle Star crawls across the reef to feed. It eats mostly detritus, which is leftover organic material, but can also catch tiny invertebrates. Its mouth has five jaws under the central disc. It has no eyes, although the skeleton in its arms contains small crystal lenses that sense light, giving it a very simple form of vision. In late summer, males and females gather in large groups to release eggs and sperm into the water.

Even though the Brittle Star can move quickly, it is still at risk from predators. If attacked, it may lose an arm, which keeps wriggling to distract the predator while the rest of the body escapes. The lost arm grows back over time, and the Brittle Star can even replace some damaged internal organs after a more serious injury.