Brutal Brittle Stars

On May 5, 2017, while exploring a ridge off the southeast side of Jarvis Island, the Okeanos Explorer team observed a group of brittle stars (ophiuroids) capture and eat a squid (Abralia sp. ) that was swimming by. Participating scientists were shocked to see this behavior from brittle stars, who were generally thought to be scavengers, not predators. This observation helps us understand more about the connection between the water column and the seafloor in this region.