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Ask Ms. Davenport

Dear Ms. Davenport, 


I am really interested in all the marine invertebrates you are finding in the mud.  
What kinds have you found so far? Do you find other sea stars besides the brittle stars?
How are they able to live at the bottom of that deep cold water?  
Keep taking pictures of them! They are so cool!

Thank You, 
Kristin :)
Fri, 04/20/2007 - 09:07

Emily Davenport

Hi Kristin- 
So far we have found these invertebrates:  bamboo worms, amphipods, clams, polychaetes, brittle stars, and one echiuran worm, We have not found any other sea stars besides brittle stars, which seem to be very common here- I'm not sure if there are other sea stars besides the brittle stars- if there are we haven't seen any, but that's not to say there aren't other types.  The brittle star is the dominant sea star in this area, however.
 
Most of the animals that live in the cold water are adapted to the temperatures, so they are used to the cold, and often don't do well if they are in warmer water.  These organisms don't have a warm body temperature like we do, they keep their bodies at the same temperature as the sea water.
 
Thanks for the question!