Banded Serpent StarOphioderma panamensis
(1: Sea Landing Cove, Santa Barbara Island)
Flat-Spined Brittle StarOphiopteris papillosa
(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
Sand Brittle StarAmphiura arcystata
(1-3,5: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 4: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)
These burrow into the sand with only their tentacles visible.
Smooth Brittle StarOphioplocus esmarki
(1-3,6: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 4: Coral Street, Monterey / 5: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
This is what they look like underneath: (1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
Spiny Brittle StarOphiothrix spiculata
(1,7,10: Monterey State Beach, Monterey / 2,4: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 3: Monastery Beach, Carmel / 5-6: Bluefish Cove, Point Lobos / 8-9,11: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
These like to hide in rocks and crevices during the day, but their tentacles are often still visible.
Here's a close up of the body: (1: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)
This one has a tiny brittle star crawling on top of it. (Brittle star inception!) (1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
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