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Crown of
Thorn |
 (Acanthasterplanci),
it is a star fish that have several caused alarm for the tourism
industry because it feds on the cora land the outbreaks of the
starfish can eat entire reefs, which take then several years to
recover. The predators that keep the pollution of crown of thorn
under control . When the Triton was over-collected, to sell it as
souvenirs for the tourists, or shells collectors or to put it as a
decoration at home...etc. the crown of thorn starfish population
reached unprecedented highs, causing significant damage to the reef.
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| The crown of thorn
starfish has venomous spines capable of causing extremely painful
wounds. This species can grow to more than a spiny arms. Contact
with the venomous spines of these creature causes severe pains,
swelling, profuse and frequent vomiting, numbers and occasionally
paralysis, in some victims, pain has been known to last for several
days. The sharp spines are capable of penetrating gloves, boots and
wetsuits. |
 Immersing
the afflicted body part in hot water can reduce the pain, but this
not may be practical in some situations. Medical attention is
usually required for sever envenomations . In the Red Sea the Crown
of Thorns starfish is not as common as in Australia`s Great Barrier
reef . Nevertheless, evry once in white single specimens are found
on stony corals , their preferred source of food. The fact that the
Crown of Thorns starfish deplete large areas of the reef-building
stony corals of their polypsby eating them is probably a natural
process which cant be influencesd even by healthy populations of its
arch-envermy, whish is the giant triton shell, and it is siad this
starfish leave behind in its lifetime an area of about 50 sqaure
meters of dead white corals skeletons. |
| The Triton shellfish
slides its proboscis under the starfish which is then devoured
from its soft and unarmed oral region at the center, and after about
two hours nothing is left of the echinoderm. |
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text from: RedseaFuntime guide |
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