Hard coral damage caused by crown of thorn starfish (Acanthaster planci). These predators eat the polyps and tissues of the coral leaving behind the w

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Hard coral damage caused by crown of thorn starfish (Acanthaster planci). These predators eat the polyps and tissues of the coral leaving behind the white carbonate skeleton. Outbreaks of the starfish occur naturally but in many areas of the world, their natural predators such as triton shells have been collected to the point of extinction, allowing populations to rise rapidly. Photographed near Biak, West Papua in Indonesia, Asia.

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Size: 4288px × 2848px
Photo credit: © MATTHEW OLDFIELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: acanthaster, animal, asia, asian, biak, biological, biology, coelenterate, coral, crown, damaged, devestated, ectoskeleton, hard, indonesia, invertebrate, invertebrates, marine, nature, papua, planci, starfish, thorns, tropical, underwater, west, wildlife, zoological, zoology