It’s not hard to see why this rather fuzzy-looking slime star belongs to the phylum Echinodermata, which literally means “spiny skin.” The central hole visible on the sea star is its osculum, which allows water to come in and out in much the same way a fish flushes water over its gills.
Slime Star
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts. Download larger version (jpg, 1.1 MB).

It’s not hard to see why this rather fuzzy-looking slime star belongs to the phylum Echinodermata, which literally means “spiny skin.” The central hole visible on the sea star is its osculum, which allows water to come in and out in much the same way a fish flushes water over its gills.

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