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THStranger things of the deep.
🎥 from mat_jahan (TT)
It's called a basket star, a type of brittle star (subclass of the Ophiuroidea class of echinoderms), closely related to starfish and sea urchins.
They have basket/web-like arms that grow up to 3 ft (1 m) long, each equipped with little branches that have tiny, sharp hooks on them, used to capture and eat plankton.
Those who fear seaweed might rather not know these exist.
They're typically found in deep-sea habitats, though, so you don't need to worry about playing footsie with one at the beach.
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