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Bizarre...propagation or death?; brittle star, what's it doing
Topic Started: Oct 28 2009, 01:41:57 PM (130 Views)
Post #1 Oct 28 2009, 01:41:57 PM Amie
This is crazy, I can't tell if this brittle star is dying or cloning itself. It's been getting really skinny over the last month and I assumed it was dying. I've watched it closely, ready to pull it out anytime because when these guys die, they really make a mess of the tank. But yesterday, it only had 3 legs. AND, the legs are moving!! It spread itself across rocks for at least 10 hours yesterday, pulling itself apart. ick...I think it's how it clones itself.

It's still alive today, and I can find one leg, and it's alive as well.

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Edited by Amie, Oct 28 2009, 01:46:55 PM.
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Post #2 Oct 29 2009, 07:47:52 AM Suzy
That is cool! I knew that was how the tiny fat ones did it, cause I find them all the time as a half star. But, I have seen one do it!

Are both halves alive today?
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Post #3 Oct 30 2009, 11:07:33 AM Clint
That is fantastic! I had a brittle star once that I pulled out of the belly of an Atlantic Carpet anemone. It lost four legs right up to the body and one leg was about 1 cm long. It sat in the corner of the tank for months then began to regrow. Today it is alive and well in the tank looking totally normal.
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