Get smart curated videos delivered to your inbox.   SUBSCRIBE
The Kid Should See This

Feather star swimming off the coast of Japan

Watch more with these video collections:

This is a feather star swimming off the coast of Japan. Feather stars are crinoids or crinoidea, meaning “Lily-like” in Greek, and thrive in the Indian Ocean up to Japan, as well as in the Atlantic. From Wild Singapore

Feather stars can move about by moving their arms. They crawl over soft sediments, using their arms to drag themselves over the surface, lifting up the central portion of their bodies. Their arms and pinnules have tiny hooks that catch on the surface. They can also swim by thrashing their arms in the water in co-ordinated strokes. However, feather stars usually only crawl or swim to get away from predators. They usually don’t move around very much once they find a good spot to settle on. Feather stars are usually perched on top of tall living or dead hard corals, sponges and other sturdy anchors. Here, they extend their arms into the currents and gather food. 

Update: Here’s another example via National Geographic:

File under echinoderms, the 600-ish species of crinoids are, of course, related to sea stars. Here are more videos of both.

This Webby award-winning video collection exists to help teachers, librarians, and families spark kid wonder and curiosity. TKSST features smarter, more meaningful content than what's usually served up by YouTube's algorithms, and amplifies the creators who make that content.

Curated, kid-friendly, independently-published. Support this mission by becoming a sustaining member today.

🌈 Watch these videos next...

Why do tapirs like being underwater?

Rion Nakaya

What do sand dollars look like when they’re alive?

Rion Nakaya

Under The Dock, a marine life series by Hakai Institute

Rion Nakaya

These stunning sea slugs steal ‘weapons’ from their ingested hydroid prey

Rion Nakaya

The tawny frogmouth at the Brookfield Zoo

Rion Nakaya

The strange and amazing barreleye fish (Macropinna microstoma)

Rion Nakaya

The Stomphia coccinea sea anemone can swim

Rion Nakaya

The sea cucumber’s multipurpose rear end

Rion Nakaya

The Sarcastic Fringehead

Rion Nakaya