Orange Feather Star
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© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Cenolia
- Species
- trichoptera
- Family
- Comasteridae
- Order
- Comatulida
- Class
- Crinoidea
- Phylum
- Echinodermata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- 20 cm
Introduction
The Orange Feather Star is one of the largest and most conspicuous feather stars in southern Australia.
Identification
The colour of the Orange Feather Star varies from orange through to brown, but can also be green, black or purple.
Habitat
Orange Sea Stars live in coastal waters to a depth of 35 m.
Distribution
Orange Sea Stars are found from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
Feeding and diet
To feed, feather stars can have as many as 40 arms at any one time waving around catching small food particles, which are then wafted along the 'food grooves' to the mouth. Both the mouth and the tube feet are on the upper surface, which is the reverse of sea stars. Their sticky tube feet help them catch food and are also very important for absorbing oxygen.
Other behaviours and adaptations
Feather stars get their name from their long branched arms, which have a feathery appearance. They attach themselves to rocks or seaweed using sticky appendages underneath known as 'cirri'.
