HONG KONG — Outbreaks of the notorious crown of thorns
starfish is wreaking havoc in Asia’s famous Coral Triangle, where it has
destroyed large swathes of coral reefs, scientists in Indonesia and Australia
said.
The predator starfish feeds on corals by spreading its
stomach over them and using digestive enzymes to liquefy tissue.
The researchers found large numbers of them in Halmahera,
Indonesia, which lies at the heart of the Coral Triangle. During a research trip
in December, they saw a stretch of reef measuring 10 km (6.26 miles) in
circumference completely wiped out.
"It’s quite a stark sight. The crown of thorns choose to eat some species,
like staghorn corals, the branching corals disappear and you are left with just
a rubble pit," Andrew Baird of the Australia Research Council’s Centre of
Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University said by telephone.
