Close up image of a brittle star with arms wrapped around a paramuricid coral.
Brittle Star
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico Expedition 2012. Download larger version (jpg, 1.2 MB).

Close up image of a brittle star with arms wrapped around a paramuricid coral. The feeding side of the central disc is clearly visible in this still frame from Little Herc's high-definition camera. The coral polyps, yellow buds distributed along the branches, are retracted. The scale across the bottom of the field of view is approximately 10 centimeters.

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