China has discovered several new species of deep-sea brittle stars 

Have you ever heard of brittle stars? If you have, let us congratulate you on being a real science enthusiast. However, never mind if you haven’t! Sit back and relax, as we will not only introduce you to these aquatic creatures today but also tell you why they have recently been in the news. 

Firstly, what is a brittle star? 
Brittle star is an echinoderm belonging to the class of Ophiuroidea and is identical to a starfish, having five long, slender whip-like arms. Now, here’s the most fascinating part! These arms regenerate on their own, even if they are snapped off. Isn’t that simply mind-blowing? Well, brittle stars will surprise you with more such startling facts. They are also known as serpent stars. Oh, guess what their favourite pastime is? Crawling across the sea floor using their super-flexible arms, just for the sake of locomotion. 

Okay, but here’s another question that has surely crossed your minds. What’s an echinoderm? It is a group of marine invertebrates exhibiting unique features such as radial symmetry and spiny skin. In fact, you might have heard about brittle star’s close cousins: Sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, crinoids and sand dollars.  

Now, why are brittle star all over the news? 
Well, it turns out that China has recently discovered an array of brand-new species of deep-sea brittle stars. Okay, so where have they been located and who all are responsible for these interesting findings? According to several reports, they have mostly been found in the South China Sea as well the Northwest Pacific Ocean by the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, that is associated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences or CAS. The findings were published in two scientific journals, ZooKeys and European Journal of Taxonomy.  

So far, 36 new brittle star species belonging to distinct orders, families and genus have been traced, using the samples provided by China’s deep-sea manned submersible called “Deep Sea Warrior.” Oh, before you start wondering, a submersible is a small-sized non-military, non-nuclear submarine, used essentially for scientific exploration. Now, interestingly, all these samples have been collected during multiple expeditions that happened from 2016 to 2021.  

Experts are enthusiastic as they believe that these new data will provide better insight into the lesser-known world of brittle stars. Scientists also estimate that there are approximately 2100 species of brittle star species underwater. 

Why is there so little information about brittle stars? 
They are rarely seen considering they live at the bottom of the ocean or remain attached to corals. More importantly, they are predominantly nocturnal beings. Seems like brittle stars prefer to stay away from limelight!