This is Ancanthaster planci or Crown-of-Thorns starfish
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This is a Crown-of-thorns starfish (Ancanthaster planci). They are part of the phylum Echinodermata.
It is a large invertebrate with venomous spines. The crown-of-thorns starfish is one of the largest starfish in the world. This species is native to Hawaii and can be found on many of our reefs. They are red or green in coloration, can grow up to 3 feet in diameter, and have up to 19 arms.
In some locations, such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, they are considered invasive and can be detrimental to the reefs. They voraciously eat the coral polyps and leave dead coral skeleton and destruction behind them. This can happen when they have an outbreak of their population.
Here in Hawaii, they will feed on live corals as well. They especially like cauliflower, rice, and lace corals. The crown-of-thorns will climb the coral and secrete enzymes to digest and adsorb the nutrients of the coral polyps. However, when this species is kept in check by it’s predators, such as the triton’s trumpet snail, the stripped belly puffer-fish, and the harlequin shrimp, they can actually be beneficial to our reefs. It is believed that by feeding on the faster growing corals as mentioned above, crown-of-thorns starfish can actually help to maintain coral diversity by allowing the slower growing corals such as lobe and finger to have time and space to grow. They can also make the reef more resilient to such disturbances.
Please do not touch one of these. They have venomous spines that can cause pain, nausea, infections, and swelling in your extremities if they are touched or poked.
The image above was taken during a Private Ocean Project Maui Snorkel Tour.
This colorful image was taken off a West Maui Beach by the dedicated staff of Ocean Project Maui. They offer custom, private snorkel tours around the island of Maui, Hawaii. Each #COLORSOFTHEOCEAN image you see in our monthly blog, was captured during a private guided snorkel tour. These amazing images, as well as images above and below the water of the clients/supporters are included in every tour at no additional cost.
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