[3] Ophiomastix wendtii is commonly found in reef rubble of the Caribbean Sea, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico.

It is thought to reinforce the calcite on its arms with magnesium-rich nanoprecipitates, making its protective crystals more difficult to crack.

[2] In addition to functioning as an armor and giving structural support, the crystals on its arms were, until recently, thought to form a visual system.

Nerve bundles under each lens, presumed to be light-sensitive, would transmit the optical information to the rest of the nervous system.

[13] However, the discovery of nerves and photoreceptor cells in between, rather than beneath, the lenses suggests that this system may not rely on their optical properties.

Researchers found that O. wendtii could actively search out areas based on color contrast, suspecting that this might be a behavior designed to evade predators.