A brown-and-white crinoid (possibly Stephanometra sp.) spreads its feathery arms into the current as it clings to a large and very pale sea fan deep on the outer barrier reef slope. An abundance of crinoids is something of a characteristic of PNG diving, in general. (Barracuda Point, Madang)
Crinoid on an orange 'elephant-ear' sponge. This reef is one of a chain of reefs — all but one given female names — that have become legendary among divers and underwater photographers. Among them, these reefs have probably racked up more photo-contest wins than any comparable area anywhere else on Earth. Closer to shore (not far from famous Restorf Island) and closer to Walindi than the seamounts that I've thus far spent most of my time on, these reefs offer fewer barracuda encounters but a profusion of other life. (Susan's Reef, Kimbe Bay)
A spectacularly-patterned crinoid is the centerpiece for a tiny visual sample of the density and diversity of life on Papua New Guinean reefs. The sponge and sea fan shown here are just the tip of the iceberg — pull back to reveal masses of fishes and larger invertebrates; zoom in to look at the tiny shrimps, larval fishes, and other aquatic life that calls these animals home. (Ann Sophie's, Kimbe Bay)
A crinoid spreads its arms into the current as it hangs off the metal rim of a sunken tugboat's wheelhouse roof. (Henry Leith, Madang)
On the same wreck, a crinoid sits on a delicately-hued nephtheid soft coral at night. (Henry Leith, Madang)
A crinoid holds on to a soft coral against a strong current in a reef pass. (Magic Passage, Madang)
A crinoid spreads its feather-like arms across a pink nephtheid soft coral, on one of the chains of 'female' reefs seaward of Restorf Island. (Kirsty Jayne's, Kimbe Bay)
The undersides of a crinoid's arms include a groove along which captured food is shunted toward the crinoid's mouth by a series of hair-like projections. (Kirsty Jayne's, Kimbe Bay)
At the same reef, two crinoids face into a gentle current — crinoids (also known, appropriately, as 'feather stars') are closely related to starfish and capture their planktonic prey from the water around them. Their arms are coated with a sticky substance that helps with the job and confers a velcro-like grip responsible for 'crinoid attacks' on divers' dangling equipment. (Kirsty Jayne's, Kimbe Bay)
A forest of crinoids atop a seamount. (Planet Rock, Madang)
A pile-up of crinoids, perched on a deep knob of coral, when the current really begins to roar across the seamount. (Planet Rock, Madang)
An almost too intensely-red robust crinoid (Himerometra robustipinna), from a night dive on a seamount. I'd usually seen these richly-colored crinoids in shallow water (often about a meter or two deep) and, even in broad daylight, had been rewarded with uniformly dark pictures — their redness seems so intense as to suck up all available strobe light! (Inglis Shoal, Kimbe Bay)
Although crinoids can move around — seeing them swim is definitely one of the more unique underwater sights — this golden noble crinoid (Comanthina nobilis) tended to remain on the same coral promontory quite deep on the seamount's slope and, being visible from quite a distance, made a handy navigational cue. (Planet Rock, Madang)
Crinoids decorate the edge of a miniwall just before a sheer drop-off in an area subjected to strong currents. (Hole in the Wall, Northeast PNG coast)
A crinoid at the same site. (Hole in the Wall, Northeast PNG coast)
A gathering of crinoids — they've all ended up in the same spot, ideal for nabbing planktonic prey. (Hole in the Wall, Northeast PNG coast)
Another crinoid spreads itself across a soft coral. Crinoids will perch just about anywhere (seeing them swim from one place to another is an experience in itself — I have a photo of the process, but only video does it justice) but can often be seen on the upper and outermost edges of sea fans and soft corals, taking advantage of the exposure to current. (Restorf Island, Kimbe Bay)
A black crinoid spreads its arms across a gorgonian sea fan on one of the scattered reef outcrops around an island. (Restorf Island, Kimbe Bay)
A crinoid on sea whips and soft corals, deep on the slope of an oceanic reef. (May Reef, Kimbe Bay)
A brilliantly deep-red seafan acts as a convenient perch for filter-feeding crinoids on a seamount's top. (South Ema Reef, Kimbe Bay)
Pink sea fan and crinoids...two common sights around Madang. (Milinat Pass, Madang)
A very dark black and yellow crinoid sucks up the light (and plankton) while perched on a sponge. (South Ema Reef, Kimbe Bay)
A typical Kimbe-Bay tableau: crinoid, fishes, and a coral garden. (South Ema Reef, Kimbe Bay)
A tiny fish, probably a juvenile wrasse, darts in and out of the shelter of a crinoid. (Restorf Island, Kimbe Bay)
An Introduction to Coral Reefs