Brittlestars are named for their five long, thin articulated and extremely flexible arms which fragment readily.
The disc is relatively small compared to the length of their arms. Both sides of the disc are covered with tiny scales, a pair of large plates, the RADIAL SHIELDS, are present dorsally close to the base of each arm and there is a single, large ventral MOUTH SHIELD between each arm.
The arm spines lay flat when the animal is at rest.
Each jaw has a vertical row of large, flat teeth at its apex and a continuous series of flat plates, MOUTH PAPILLAE, along its edges.
Brittlestars environment would be a mixture of sand with many rocks so the creatures could easily hide when threatened.
Ophiuroids do not use only their tube-feet for locomotion but usually move by sinuous flexures of the arms, one and the disc being thrust forward by oar like movements of the two other pairs.
Conditions for fossilisation were perfect around one hundred and ninety million years ago at a place called Eype in Dorset, which at the time would have been a relatively warm, shallow , sub-tropical sea.
THE FOSSIL BRITTLESTARS FEATURED ON THIS PAGE HAVE BEEN METICULOUSLY PREPARED TAKING MANY HOURS USING VARIOUS PREPARATION TECHNIQUES. AMONGST THESE TECHNIQUES IS THE USE OF PNEUMATIC PENS, AIR ABRASIVES AND SCALPELS. SPECIMENS OF THIS QUALITY ARE EXTREMELY RARE.
BOTH SPECIMENS WERE PREPARED BY ANDY COWAP.
FOSSILS DIRECT HAVE VARIOUS EXAMPLES OF BRITTLESTARS FOR SALE UNDER OUR STARFISH SECTION. THE SPECIMENS ARE HIGHLY PRIZED AND SOUGHT AFTER AMONGST COLLECTORS.
