• Ophiura vs. Boxer

  • Jonathon8514

Today I witnessed an attack by a Boxer Shrimp on a Starfish-Ophiura. The boxer tore off a limb from the starfish while simultaneously gnawing on its prey without letting go of its victim. I tried to record a video on my phone. The quality isn't great, but you can somewhat make it out.

Robert800

It's better not to use a phone here, but to take a stick and hit the boxer on the head. They can/will continue to do this.

Elizabeth6302

Yes, already chased away... most likely spotted food on the tentacles and started taking it from the weak... "Star is in shock."

Brenda

Is the brittle star big or small?

Rick

15-20 cm

Caroline1599

Well, a determined boxer... still, the brittle star is not small. Usually, brittle stars of this size can already be quite rowdy in the reef. They might push a solitary disco starfish somewhere unknown, or steal food from the umbrellas, and they can even drag fragments into crevices on small stones. They always have a ferocious appetite, you can barely keep up with feeding them. Although, as recyclers, they are certainly in their element.

Danny

The star is a newcomer. She has been getting used to the reef for half an hour. Maybe she was still shy about bending her fingers. She hasn't recovered from the move. But I took her solely for the purpose of a cleaner. Now she lies motionless. I'm afraid it might be a heart attack.

Jesse3979

Everything will be fine, she is waiting for the night... it's their time.

Daniel9952

At night, everything fell into place, and now the boxer is breathing evenly and passing by without being disturbed.

Matthew

I apologize for not being on topic, a couple of days ago I noticed that I have an ophiura, it probably has been hiding in the live rocks all this time. Now I don't know what to do with it, does it need to be fed specially or not?

Charles894

It is not necessary to feed her intentionally; she is a scavenger by nature and will always find something to eat, such as leftover feed or the waste products of fish and invertebrates, as well as microflora.

Ronald

A brittle star of that size, even a black one, can be predatory; whether you feed it or not, it's still quite the "wolf": it can eat a shrimp during molting if it catches it somewhere, and it can catch small fish at night.

Karen2578

Let's hope we encountered peaceful ones.

Zachary

At one point, I even missed an important moment that I fully and completely confirm: yes, large brittle stars can be unpredictable in their gastronomic pursuits, and in addition to that, small unarmored ones can drag unknown prey, they can also attack sleepy fish and shrimp. This has happened more than once, meaning that besides being scavengers, they are also predators.

Elizabeth

The sea is a harsh habitat.

Anne4851

I also observed interesting behavior of Pamaсentrus aleynii towards these brittle stars. They swim up, turn around, and either seem to want to rub their tails against them or are trying to drive them away, stirring up sand, but judging by their gaze, they are aggressive.