People Are Mesmerized by These Videos of Swimming Feather Stars

Nature is full of fascinating creatures, especially in the ocean's depths. For example, there are creepy oceanic spiders, ugly-looking blobfish, and “doomsday” fish that supposedly predict impending disasters.

However, there is probably nothing in the ocean more mesmerizing than swimming feather stars, aka Jimbacrinus crinoids. They look like ferns gracefully swimming through the sea. Here’s what we know about swimming feather stars, and why people are spellbound by their beauty and grace.

Swimming feathers stars, also known as Jimbacrinus crinoids, may look like plants, but they are actually marine animals similar to starfish and sea urchins, per Ocean Conservancy. They are part of the Crinoidea class of marine invertebrates, which have existed for over 300 million years.

If you look up Jimbacrinus crinoids on the internet, the fossil images of these animals may freak you out. They look like the face-sucking monsters from the movie Alien. But, in reality, the Jimbacrinus crinoids are very beautiful.

According to Ocean Conservancy, a swimming feather star is more like a sea lily but without a stalk connecting it to the ocean floor. Therefore, they can travel through the water freely with as many as 150 feathery arms. If they lose an arm, two grow back in its place, per Animalogic.

While swimming feather stars can be found in ocean waters around the world, they are more prevalent in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, per Animalogic. They are usually found among coral reefs.

Videos of swimming feather stars are popping up on social media channels like TikTok and Instagram. One Instagram video of a swimming feather star posted by @seayouunderwater has gone viral with almost 2.5 million likes, as of publication.

The viral video includes the “Frickin’ Nature” audio track from @andyfilmsandhikes, which goes: “Do you see this? Do you see this? It’s frickin’ nature, and it’s frickin’ awesome! Wooooo!”

TikTok creator @lindsaynikole points out that feather stars are also "scaring the s--t out of people." "After the alien in Life, Feather Stars terrify me, no matter how gorgeous," posted one commenter.

"It looks like he's constantly nonstop doing the Macarena," someone said about the feather star in this TikTok video.

"For some reason, that creature looks very cool and makes me feel very uncomfortable at the same time," one person commented. "It looks like a cannabis leaf," said another.

"Looks like a giant spider!"

We could watch footage of the captivating swimming feather stars all day.