Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Destroys Great Barrier Reef

You heard me correctly…

Yes, it’s beautiful, but deadly!

You’re thinking, “How can a starfish destroy the Great Barrier Reef?”, right?

A simple explanation – Overpopulation.

It feeds on coral polyps and destroys the coral, subsequently, in it’s wake.

This video is about the crown-of-thorns starfish eating corals of the world:

How? As it moves over the coral, it extrudes it’s stomach onto it…The starfish’s digestive enzymes liquefies the coral polyps and they absorb the nutrient content from it.

They have a serious appetite and can destroy up to 6 square meters of coral reef per year each! Therein lies the problem…Coral grows so much slower than that!

Without many natural predators, the starfish flourishes. The giant triton (a mollusc – “snail”) and harlequin shrimp, as well as a few large reef fish will endeavor to make a meal out of the crown-of-thorns, however.

Needless to say, the crown-of-thorns starfish has had an “outbreak” of sorts on the Great Barrier Reef, which is concerning and alarming.

The Crown-of-Thorns Starfish is also harmful to humans, as has a venomous neurotoxin causing nausea, vomiting and pain that could last for weeks. Turning your skin blue where the wound is, it swells.

If the spines of the starfish break off and lodge themselves in your skin, they could cause an infection and increased toxicity.

Apparently, it’s been understood that some divers will inject these starfish with the contents of their own stomach into each one of their legs to kill them.

Why Each One of Their Legs?
Because these starfish have the ability to regenerate legs when injured or dismembered. That’s why divers are sure to inject each leg.

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Valvatida
Family: Acanthasteridae
Genus: Acanthaster
Species: A. planci

***

I hope you enjoy this Marine Invertebrate post on Exotic Animal Lover during Great Barrier Reef Month! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. For more ecological information on the Great Barrier Reef, check out this great Reefscape book:

Reefscape: Reflections on the Great Barrier Reef Located off Australia’s eastern coast, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the wonders of the natural world. Looking beyond the sheer beauty of this place, it is a region rich in history, the setting for fateful shipwrecks and exotic Aboriginal myths.Told in a reflectively poetic voice, Love writes evocatively of the ecological, biological, and geological significance of the reef. Woven throughout is the intriguing history of the area. Reefscape will illuminate the meaning of the human encounter with nature. It will inspire delight in the imagination and spirit of all who yearn for the transcendence of turquoise waters.

Technorati Tags: crown of thorns starfish, starfish, Great Barrier Reef, invertebrate, marine animals, ocean animals

Similar Posts:

• Animals of the Great Barrier Reef
• Octopi of the Great Barrier Reef
• Great Barrier Reef Month – Starting Feb. 1st
• Dreaming on the Great Barrier Reef
• Swimming with Minke Whales of the Outer Great Barrier Reef

Yup, that's right! I have always wanted to start an animal refuge of my own...If you would like to help me start my animal refuge, please Click Here! Live Exotically!

Popularity: 5% [?]