Keyhole Sand Dollar (Mellita tenuis)

#SandDollar #Echinoidea #Echinoderm #SeaLife #ArtWithOpenSource #CCBYSA #Darktable #MarineLife #SeaUrchin #Urchin #Echinodermata #Animals #AnimalPhotography #Nature #NaturePhotography #Photo #Photography

500-million-year-old #fossil reveals how #starfish got their shape https://phys.org/news/2025-06-million-year-fossil-reveals-starfish.html

A new #Cambrian stem-group echinoderm reveals the #evolution of the anteroposterior axis: Stephanie Woodgate et al. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00681-5

"The fossil, #Atlascystis acantha, is the oldest known #echinoderm with a bilateral body plan. It bridges the evolutionary gap between the closest living relatives of #echinoderms, all of which have bilateral symmetry, and the familiar five-armed forms alive today."

Today I started laying the groundwork for a big #pastel artwork, featuring 12 #SeaStar species. I think I made one of these charts in primary school for the last time! So much fun 💫

#MarineLife #artinprogress #art #MarineBiology #echinodermata #echinoderm #starfish #asteroidea #chart #BabySteps

Earlier this week a student told me how some sea anemones can swim away when attacked by sea stars.

They showed me this video of it happening. It's excellent.

Keep it in mind if you see something creeping up slowly towards you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysOmq71fcMk

#marine #biology #nature #Echinoderm #Actiniaria #starfish