IMAX Deep Sea

I went to IMAX yesterday to see Deep Sea 3D. Not suprisingly I enjoyed it.

What got me thinking was a scene where they showed a brittle star unfolding. How did they do that?

Me experience was that they fold and run away when you shine even slight light on them. But then I only saw them few times.

Do you think they played this scene in reverse?

I saw Deep Sea 3D a couple of months ago and I loved it, but to be honest I can't remember the clip with the brittle star that you are talking about. I was probably just too engrossed by the film to remember the details too much! Great film though so if anyone hasn't seen it then go go go !

Cheers, Simon

Haven't seen it yet but maybe you mean a basket star??? They unfold when you shine a light on them at night.

maybe you mean a basket star???

Maybe, I'm not sure brittle star is correct name. It looked similar to this:

But the one I've seen did not seem to enjoy light.

Hi Andrzej, Nick is right. Both belong to the Ophiuroidea class which also includes brittle stars, but baskets are characterised by highly branched arms and belong to the subclass Euryalida. The pic you posted is a basket star.

Thanks.

So, do some basket stars run away from light while others do the opposite?

The ones I've seen at night tend to open up and then run away. I guess the light makes them think it's day time so they open up to have a feed but then sh1t themselves and run off when they realise you're not the sun but one of those enormous weird bubbling things.

I've never had a basket star NOT fold up when I've photographed it.

There's an easier way. I'll write Howard and ask him.

Howard replied that the basket star trick is "easy but specific to the cold water varieties of British Columbia. THey open in response to current rather than darkness. This response can be initiated by tickling the top of the star gently with your finger."

I guess it's like getting crinoids to open by tickling their legs.

Errr for the uninitiated, please do not tickle a crinoid's leg with your fingers. You may find that the leg will stick to your finger, causing eternal pain for the crinoid and scorn from the diving community for you, resulting in your eternal damnation in the hell of marine life manipulator where you'll be poked with a red hot skewer, have 50kW lights alternatively flashed directly into your eyes (held open by staples) or 25kW lights constantly there too. Then you'll be bumped and prodded to pose and have appendages broken off for aesthetic reasons. Finally you get crushed by a giant rubber flap and the cycle repeats itself forever! whew...

snicker...

All in the name of science, a naked basket star unfolds at night and then does one

Howard Hall, eat your heart out

There's an easier way. I'll write Howard and ask him.

I love wetpixel!

And I thought he was on about 'Howard the duck'... :

Dive safe

Dean(quackers)B

All in the name of science, a naked basket star unfolds at night and then does one

 

Howard Hall, eat your heart out 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh Nick... although it's not about size but how you use it... Howard's camera is MUCH bigger than yours!

Errr for the uninitiated, please do not tickle a crinoid's leg with your fingers. You may find that the leg will stick to your finger, causing eternal pain for the crinoid and chastition from the diving community, resulting in your eternal damnation in the hell of marine life manipulator where you'll be poked with a red hot skewer, have 50kW lights alternatively flashed directly into your eyes (held open by staples) or 25kW lights constantly there too. Then you'll be bumped and prodded to pose and have appendages broken off for aesthetic reasons. Finally you get crushed by a giant rubber flap and the cycle repeats itself forever! whew...

As long as you don't touch the arms, it's fine. The "legs" down below aren't sticky.

Err... not that I'd know...