Madreporite
August 2, 2019
This year, we have occasionally been finding small sea stars washed up on the beach. Usually, they are dried up, sun-bleached and very dead.
The ones we found today, however, were bigger, and still very much alive. They were in a sandy tide pool, actively propelling themselves along the sand on tiny tube feet.
We picked up one for a closer look. On it's back, toward the center, but not directly in the center was a bright orange "dot." Zooming in on the dot, it seemed like we were looking at the creatures tiny exposed "brain," but everyone knows, that echinoderms don't have a brain, right?
This cool looking apparatus is called a madreporite. It allows sea water in and out of the sea star, and is basically a fancy looking pressure valve. It is interesting to note that in many sea stars, the coloration of the madreporite contrast sharply with the rest of its body.
(a "Macro Mondays" submission, theme "Complementary Colors" HMM!)
Brewster, Massachusetts
Cape Cod - USA
Photo by brucetopher
© Bruce Christopher 2019
All Rights Reserved
...always learning - critiques welcome.
Tools: Canon 7D & iPhone 6s.
No use without permission.
Please email for usage info.
Madreporite
August 2, 2019
This year, we have occasionally been finding small sea stars washed up on the beach. Usually, they are dried up, sun-bleached and very dead.
The ones we found today, however, were bigger, and still very much alive. They were in a sandy tide pool, actively propelling themselves along the sand on tiny tube feet.
We picked up one for a closer look. On it's back, toward the center, but not directly in the center was a bright orange "dot." Zooming in on the dot, it seemed like we were looking at the creatures tiny exposed "brain," but everyone knows, that echinoderms don't have a brain, right?
This cool looking apparatus is called a madreporite. It allows sea water in and out of the sea star, and is basically a fancy looking pressure valve. It is interesting to note that in many sea stars, the coloration of the madreporite contrast sharply with the rest of its body.
(a "Macro Mondays" submission, theme "Complementary Colors" HMM!)
Brewster, Massachusetts
Cape Cod - USA
Photo by brucetopher
© Bruce Christopher 2019
All Rights Reserved
...always learning - critiques welcome.
Tools: Canon 7D & iPhone 6s.
No use without permission.
Please email for usage info.