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crown-of-thorns starfish
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crown-of-thorns sea star Crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci).
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crown-of-thorns sea star
crown-of-thorns sea star Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci).

crown-of-thorns starfish

echinoderm
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Also known as: Acanthaster planci
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crown-of-thorns starfish, (Acanthaster planci), reddish and heavy-spined species of the phylum Echinodermata. The adult has from 12 to 19 arms, is typically 45 centimetres (18 inches) across, and feeds on coral polyps. Beginning about 1963 it increased enormously on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The population explosion was attributed to the decimation of its chief predator, a large marine snail, the Pacific triton (Charonia tritonis), by shell collectors. Thereafter, the starfish multiplied throughout the southern Pacific (to Hawaii about 1970), seemingly threatening the destruction of coral reefs and islands. Concern among scientists and environmentalists prompted an attempt to control the animals’ ...(100 of 213 words)

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