Echinoderms (Phylum Echinodermata)

Seastars (Class Stelleroidea)

Starfish (Subclass Asteroidea)

Brittle stars, Basket Stars and Serpent Stars (Subclass Ophiuroidea)

There are around 2,000 described species of ophiuroids. Most encountered in the aquarium are scavengers or detritus feeders. There are some predators.

Brittle star legs protruding from rocks (60G)

Brittle stars in the sand (60G)

Sea Urchins (Class Echinoidea)

Sea Cucumbers (Class Holothuroidea)

If you have ever seen a regular sea cucumber, you'd understand the name. Most are depost or suspension feeders. The mobile ones, which are most comonly seen, are deposit feeders grazing on sand with their tentacles. They injest the sand, remove nutirient and the sand is deposted through their anus.

Holothurian tentacles. These look like the tentacles of a sedentary holothurian. (60G)

A smaller specimen (60G)

Crinoids (Class Crinoidea)