636B - Iceland’s Seabed Ecosystem I - The basket star - Self-adhesive

The basket star (Gorgonocephalus sp.) is a benthic animal of the Echinoderm phylum, and belongs to the brittle star family. Among echinoderms are starfish and sea urchin. The scientific name is derived from the Greek words “Gorgon” which means terrifying, and “cephalus” meaning head. The Norwegian term is Medusa’s head, referring to the mythic monster queen Medusa who had snakes for hair and could turn men to stone by looking at them. Its habitat is the Northeast Atlantic and includes Iceland, Orkney, the United Kingdom and Norway. The basket star depicted in the stamp was photographed at about 900 m depth in the Dreki area, northeast of Iceland.