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Take a Look: 2000-Feet Deep Off North Carolina

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Brittle stars (ophluroids)
Brittle stars (ophluroids). (Image credit: Lisa Levin, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego.)

Journey down below the waters off the North Carolina coast. Here, 2,000-feet (600 meters) underwater, a unique creature coats the seafloor, as you can see in the above image. These critters are called brittle stars (ophluroids). Brittle stars are not starfish, but they are closely related. Enjoy this rare peek at the ocean floor.

Brett Israel
Brett Israel was a staff writer for Live Science with a focus on environmental issues. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from The University of Georgia, a master’s degree in journalism from New York University, and has studied doctorate-level biochemistry at Emory University.