This beautiful basket star (Gorgonocephalus sp.) perched on a sponge was observed while exploring seafloor habitats northeast of Mona Island at depths between 409-566 meters (1,340-1,855 feet) as part of the Océano Profundo 2018: Exploring Deep-sea Habitats off Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands expedition.
Basket stars are echinoderms and belong to the same group as the brittle stars. The names “Gorgos” and “cephalus” that make up the basket star’s scientific name refer to Gorgon’s head from the Greek myth, who has coiled serpents for hair.
As seen in the video, the basket star is composed of a set of very intricate arms, and when open, they are shaped like a basket. Many times we see them closed and coiled up on branching organisms like octocorals. However, this basket star has its arms open — a real treat! This could mean that it was suspension feeding on small crustaceans and other plankton in the water. The arms of basket stars are covered with spines and hooks which allow them to collect small critters.
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Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Exploring Deep-sea Habitats off Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.