The basket star has a five-pointed body that's up to a few inches across. An arm extends from each point. Unlike your average sea star, though, a basket star's arms quickly branch out. Each arm may have two main branches, with many smaller ones extending from each of the bigger ones. And the branches have their own sub-branches, with small barbs on the ends. In all, an arm may be up to a couple of feet long. The basket star feeds by anchoring itself to the sea floor and extending its arms into the current — forming a wide basket. Small shellfish, jellyfish, and other critters that float with the current flow right into the basket. The barbs trap the unfortunate prey, encase it in strands of mucus, then pull it down to the basket star's mouth.