Facts about Crown of thorns starfish
- 09
Colored tube feet on crown of thorns starfish contain chemoreceptors that allow them to detect coral polyps and navigate across reef surfaces in complete darkness.
- 08
A single crown of thorns starfish can live for approximately 30 years in the wild, making it one of the longest-lived echinoderms on coral reef systems.
- 07
Regeneration of lost arms in crown of thorns starfish can take 1-2 years to complete, during which the starfish remains vulnerable to predation and environmental stress.
- 06
Female crown of thorns starfish can release up to 65 million eggs during a single spawning event, contributing to their explosive population growth on degraded reefs.
- 05
In 2016, researchers identified a virus that infects crown of thorns starfish and causes wasting disease, potentially offering biological control for future population outbreaks on coral reefs.
- 04
Acanthaster planci can consume an entire coral colony in just 48 hours through its ability to extrude its stomach onto prey and digest tissue externally.
- 03
During larval development, crown of thorns starfish undergo a planktonic phase lasting approximately 9-13 days before settling onto coral reef substrates.
- 02
The crown of thorns starfish possesses up to 15 arms covered in venomous spines that can pierce through a wetsuit and cause severe pain lasting several hours in humans.
- 01
Up to 21,000 crown of thorns starfish can inhabit a single reef, with each individual consuming up to 10 square meters of coral annually.