June 5, 2020
sprep-pa
Upon first glance, the crown-of-thorns starfish looks a lot like an enemy creature you'd find in a nature-based video game. Long spikes cover its body, which can reach 2 1/2 feet in diameter. It's somewhat reminiscent of a land mine, if a land mine had 14 to 21 movable arms. But its exterior isn't nearly as intimidating as its appetite. By the time a crown-of-thorns matures at 4 months old, it eats live coral voraciously - up to its own body weight in one evening.
