A basket star with an intricate network of bifurcating arms, imaged at 677 meters (2,221 feet) during Dive 07 of the Seascape Alaska 3 expedition. The basket star uses its arms to catch particles drifting by in the water column, which it then brings to its mouth, located on the back side of the central disk. The central disk of this basket star measured over 10 centimeters (4 inches) across.
Basket Star
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Seascape Alaska. Download larger version (jpg, 1.8 MB).

A basket star (Gorgonocephalus sp.) with an intricate network of bifurcating arms, imaged at 677 meters (2,221 feet) during Dive 07 of the Seascape Alaska 3 expedition. The basket star uses its arms to catch particles drifting by in the water column, which it then brings to its mouth, located on the back side of the central disk. The central disk of this basket star measured over 10 centimeters (4 inches) across.