National Geographic
NEWSLINE PAPER,- The ocean is a huge, strange place full of living things that have fascinated people for hundreds of years. The underwater world always amazes us with its beauty and variety, from the huge whales to the bright coral reefs. Invertebrates like the "feather star" or Crinoid sp. stand out as truly amazing and unique.
The feather star, also known as the sea flower, is a stunning marine creature belonging to the Crinoidea class. These interesting creatures have fluffy, delicate bodies that make them look like a flower floating in the water. Adult feather stars, unlike most other echinoderms like sea stars and sea urchins, attach themselves to the ocean bottom or other surfaces via a stalk or cirri. In their larval form, they can also swim freely, which makes them very different from other echinoderms.
One of the most interesting things about the feather star is its long history. According to fossil records, these strange animals first showed up about 300 million years ago, long before dinosaurs existed. This shows how tough and flexible they are in the constantly changing ocean environment. Their past evolution shows how well they do as a group and how well they can do in different ocean ecosystems.
Recently, a viral video showed a unique feather star swimming
An underwater encounter with the beautiful and unusual "feather star" (Crinoid sp.), these ancient invertebrates first appear in the fossil record about 300 million years before the dinosaurs.
— Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) May 8, 2024
📽: Els van den Eijnden pic.twitter.com/urHhNqJVoM
(Wahyu Fatih/Newsline Paper)