The serpent-skinned brittlestar is a common resident in the kelp forests of South Africa’s West Coast, often congregating in large groups. This one has found itself crawling amongst Stephen’s Codium algae, nestling itself to not be pulled away by the current. Other than the subject is some life that eluded me the first time I examined this photograph; some very small dendritic nudibranchs were crawling along the codium algae, an alga that is their favourite. Feather stars also feature with bright and prominent blue and orange colouration. Many creatures feed on these brittle stars, so it makes sense for it to wedge itself out of sight of fish and crabs.
Photograph taken at A-Frame dive site, Simon’s Town, South Africa.