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The crown of thorns sea star can be found on the coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The crown of thorn sea star is part of the starfish species. There are over sixteen hundred different species of the sea star species, of which the crown of thorns sea star is the only creature of the species that eats coral. The typical sea star has five legs, but the crown of thorn sea star has several limbs, which it uses to curl around the coral stems.
The crown of thorn sea star has tiny tube feet with suction cups that help him travel; his skin is tough and covered with poisonous spines that break off into any creature that picks him up. He usually has anywhere from nine to eighteen arms and his mouth is at the center of his body on his underside. This allows him to feed while attached to coral.
This invertebrate can usually be found in depths of around one hundred and fifty feet below the water. They have been recorded to be as far as six hundred feet below water. The crown of thorn sea star is thought to be a killer of sort, it continues to eat until it has killed all life on the coral reef. This in turn enables the coral to rejuvenate itself.
The crown of thorns sea star mated during December and January, the male and female’s reproductive grow until it is time for them to mate. The female’s ovaries grow and make up the most of her body until she has laid her eggs. The male’s sperm sac grows until he has fertilized the eggs; this also makes up most of his body. When the male and female come together they do not join to mate. The female will lie anywhere from a couple of thousand of eggs to well over five hundred thousand eggs. The male then comes along and fertilizes all the eggs. The eggs shortly after fertilization become larvae, the larvae begin to grow and with three months have developed into an adult crown of thorn sea star. Although the female lays a multitude of eggs, only one-third actually make it to the larvae stage. Many are eaten by other marine life.
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