Echinoderm · feather star

Antarctic feather star

Promachocrinus kerguelensis and related species

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic A single ocean

Depth

From 15 to 2,100 m

Size

Arms up to about 20 cm

Diet

Particles and plankton filtered with its arms

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• Most of these feather stars have 20 arms, whereas others often have 10.
• It was thought to be a single species. In 2023, DNA revealed 8, including 4 new ones.
• One of them, Promachocrinus fragarius, has a strawberry-shaped body.
• Having no stalk, it can move around and even swim by beating its arms.

Verified sources

1. McLaughlin, Wilson & Rouse 2023, Invertebrate Systematics (CSIRO)
2. SeaLifeBase : Promachocrinus kerguelensis
3. ScienceAlert : une créature à 20 bras découverte près de l’Antarctique

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Antarctic slope shrimpNematocarcinus lanceopes Pioneer tubewormTevnia jerichonana Scorching chimney wormParalvinella sulfincola Hairy vent snailAlviniconcha spp. White vent crabBythograea thermydron Kairei blind crabAustinograea rodriguezensis