Fact Friday

Crown of Thorns Starfish

Crown-of-Thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), also known as COTS, are named for their long venomous spines that cover their body and up to 23 arms. These menacing predators eat living coral and (for obvious reasons) they have few natural predators. Sometimes COTS populations can explode and completely destroy the coral on a reef. Learn more in this short education video: 

https://youtu.be/Yb0RvgxGkeg

Photo Credit: Ken Marks

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Meet Renée Carlton, marine ecologist at the Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. She has studied the effects of climate change and ocean acidification on coral reefs all over the world—from the Florida Keys to islands in the South Pacific. She is especially interested in sharing marine science with communities around the world so they can effectively conserve their marine resources. She loves scuba diving, and her favorite ocean animal is a hermit crab.