Uploaded October 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This deep-sea mud star, Dytaster insignis, is a species which occurs in the true abyss, 2,515-3,530 meters (8,250-11,580 feet)! Although this individual was observed on the seafloor surface, it and other related “mud star” species are often seen buried just below the surface of muddy or sandy bottoms. This and related species are commonly collected with their disks engorged with mud. They have swallowed the sediment in order to devour potential snails and clams as well as other small organisms. This speedy star was seen while exploring the West Florida Escarpment within the Gulf of Mexico.
Learn more about these sea stars here: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1803/dailyupdates/media/video/dive10_seastar/welcome.html
Video courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018.
This deep-sea mud star, Dytaster insignis, is a species which occurs in the true abyss, 2,515-3,530 meters (8,250-11,580 feet)! Although this individual was observed on the seafloor surface, it and other related “mud star” species are often seen buried just below the surface of muddy or sandy bottoms. This and related species are commonly collected with their disks engorged with mud. They have swallowed the sediment in order to devour potential snails and clams as well as other small organisms. This speedy star was seen while exploring the West Florida Escarpment within the Gulf of Mexico.
Learn more about these sea stars here: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/explorations/ex1803/dailyupdates/media/video/dive10_seastar/welcome.html
Video courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2018.
