“Straight out of a sci-fi film.” Diver spots strange animal on Great Barrier Reef. What it was doing blew her mind

An underwater filmmaker was lucky enough to come across a brittle star at the precise moment it was spawning on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. 

When Chilean wildlife cinematographer Daniela Rakos saw the animal – which is related to a starfish – she thought it was doing “a psychedelic dance,” she says. “Then I realised it was spawning.” 

See the amazing moment the brittle star begins to spawn. Credit: Daniela Rakos

In the footage the brittle star waves its arms as if saying goodbye and good luck to the tiny eggs being released into the dark water. 

“What looks like something straight out of a sci-fi film is actually thousands of tiny, glowing green eggs drifting into the water, creating new life on the reef,” says Master Reef Guides who shared the footage on Instagram.

“It’s a good reminder that it’s not just the corals that spawn, many other creatures.

Image and video credit: Daniela Rakos – Underwater Filmmaker

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