Jellies, Stars and Screws

The cold coastal waters of Tasmania, Australia have an array of fascinating and intriguing sea creatures. In Jellies, Stars and Screws, a jellyfish bloom propels its way through a kelp forest, sea stars scavenge the bottom of the seabed, and screw mollusks hide from the predatory sea stars in the depths of their shells.

Jellyfish are the oldest multicellular animals on the planet and have existed for around 650 million years, whilst brittle stars, sea stars, and mollusks have roamed the sea floors and rock pools for between 400-500 million years. It is truly amazing that jellyfish, brittle stars, and sea stars can clone themselves and regenerate their body parts; brittle and sea stars can amputate one or more of their appendages to escape predators (a process called autotomy), and sea stars can use autotomy for asexual reproduction.