Crown of Thorns Starfish Acanthaster Planci Crown of Thorns Starfish

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Taxonomy Kingdom : Animalia Class : Asteroidea Order : Valvatida Phylum: Echinodermata family : Acanthasteridae genus : Acanthaster Species :

Taxonomy family : Acanthasteridae genus : Acanthaster Species : Acanthaster Planci

Habitat They are commonly found on coral reefs ,foraging over coral colonies in shallow protected areas of the back reef

Mode of Feeding It feeds by a method called eversion . This is when the gastric folds of the stomach membrane are forced through its mouth and turned inside out , smothering the coral .It then secretes digestive enzymes onto the coral absorbing the digested tissues of its prey externally .

Mode of reproduction A single female crown of thorns starfish can lay up to 60 million eggs in a breeding season .They have the highest rates of fertilization recorded in any invertebrate.This means if a small population is struggling , they can potentially produce lots of offspring

Symmetry Crown of Thorns starfish generally start off with symmetry in its life , but when it reaches adulthood they are found to be with radial symmetry

Locomotion The crown of thorns starfish mean of locomotion are cilia and tube feet.They can move 35 cm/min.Each of its appendages contain many tube feet that contain cilia that helps it move .

Fun Facts Even though I know all of you are sad this is not the starfish we all know as The Great Dumb One named Patrick Star, there are some cool things about the Crown Of Thorns .

Patrick Star …. LOLZ !!!

Fun Facts They have between 7 to 23 arms . They are know as the second largest starfish in the world. They are nocturnal creatures All arms are covered with venomous thorns aka the reason why they have their name.

Fun Facts Crown of Thorns can eat up to 6 square meters of coral each year . The only thing Crown Of Thorns have in common with Patrick Star is they both can eat a lot .

Fun Facts( Not really ) They are damaging creatures of tropical coral reefs .A single individual can wipe out large areas this way.But they have predators( fish ,mollusks ,and worms ) to help tame them .

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