Feather Stars Featured in Stars of the Sea

May 21, 2025

Hidden in plain sight, a feather star sits perched on coral with long, frond-like arms. Looking like a plant can help it hide from predators, but this camouflage can also hide its extraordinary features from observers. During your next visit to the Aquarium, visit the Hidden Potential exhibit in the Tropical Pacific Gallery and take a look at this amazing sea star.

When a feather star releases its strong grasp from the coral, its interesting natural history is revealed. With a mesmerizing rhythm, it glides through the current and waves each of its arms (ranging from five to forty though some species have up to two hundred) to evade predators and get food.

Each arm has many feather-like branched structures called pinnules with modified tube-feet, which move on their own to grab plankton and other nutrients. The tube feet pass the morsel of food from the outermost tip of the arm to the mouth in the center of the body, with the snack moving closer to the feather star’s mouth.

Feather stars are found around the World Ocean in both shallow and deep water. There are over 600 known species of feather stars. Like other echinoderms, or invertebrates with spiny skin, they can re-grow parts of their bodies. Feather stars and other echinoderms face a variety of threats, including ocean acidification.

Visit the Aquarium this summer to see and learn more about feather stars and their relatives.