There are times when the ocean can seem like the most terrifying place on the planet. Its strange monsters and hidden dangers make it feel like the setting of a science-fiction horror movie. But sometimes we are reminded that our seas are really the closest thing we have to our own beautiful and distant alien planet, a place where wondrous and fascinating creatures of magnificent and fascinating design roam, assuring us of the beauty and amazing power of life right here at home. That’s precisely how you feel when you watch a fish that looks like its made up entirely of feathers traversing the waters with the elegance of a ballet dancer.

This video, uploaded to YouTube by the channel Atlantis Bell, showcases a dive in the crystal clear waters of Bali, during which you can see a feather star (starting at around the 1:30 mark) in all its stunning grace. It looks like a cache of delicate bird feathers have been attached to a motor and sent off to decorate the ocean the way you might adorn your own living room with a tasteful and exotic plant.

In reality, this feather star is a type of marine invertebrate known as a crinoid, of which there are 550 types. You can see a couple of other types in these videos.

Seriously, the ocean is so much more amazing than it is scary, and is a great reminder that sometimes our own imaginations aren’t nearly as creative and wonder as what life and evolution has come up with.

How would you describe one of these fish? What other denizens of the seas do you find as beautiful? Swim into our comments section and let us know.

Images: Atlantis Bell/YouTube

Why Iceman is a fireball waiting to happen