click image to see the next echinoderm

Echinoderm larvae can be found in marine plankton, floating with the tide. They can be collected with a fine-meshed plankton net. They are not much larger than a millimetre.

Larva of brittlestars have an internal skeleton of silica to support their soft body.

The gut can be seen in the centre, the mouth opening below it. I must admit that I placed the image upside down. I thought it looked prettier this way. Anyway, who wouldn't lose his sense of direction when floating in plankton?