Feather Star

Crinoids or feather stars colonise every elevated point on Dutch Bay's wrecks — mast tips, rail stanchions, and bow railings — extending their feeding arms into the current to filter plankton in a display of radiating colour that transforms rusted metal into living sculpture. Each individual can bear 10 to 200 arms depending on species, with Bennett's feather star among the most commonly encountered in Sri Lankan waters. They serve as habitat for a suite of specialised commensal species including squat lobsters, crinoid shrimps, and crinoid clingfish whose camouflage exactly matches the arms of their host.