What's the first thing that comes to mind when someone says starfish? More than likely, most people envision starfish as something resembling Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants: a nice, pink underwater creature with five arms. At least that's what I used to think. Now, after last week's lecture, my skin crawls when I hear the word starfish because all I can think of is this:

Crown-of-thorns starfish

          Crown-of-thorns starfish are the second biggest species of starfish in the world. They are characterized by their multiple arms which are covered in spikes containing a dangerous toxin. Accidentally pricking yourself against this bad boy will cause some pretty bad stinging and swelling. They are very hard to kill since they regenerate, which means hacking it to bits just causes it to multiply. But the worst part of it all is that these starfish float around until they land on coral and then proceed to munch on poor little coral polyps, leaving a bare skeleton behind.

          Normally, the fact that crown-of-thorns starfish prey on coral wouldn't be such a bad thing. Every animal has its prey, and every animal has its predators. That's how life is. However, the natural balance of life can be thrown off when non-native species invade with few predators to keep it in check. This has been the case with these starfish for the past several years. When they spawn, many juvenile crown-of-thorns can be carried to distant reefs by the sea. They then continue to grow into adults, causing an outbreak of starfish and massive destruction to local coral reefs. Researchers are attempting to determine exactly why these outbreaks occur but have not yet come to a definitive conclusion.
          Apparently, the part of the Great Barrier Reef that we will be observing later in the year is currently on the verge of a crown-of-thorns outbreak. Terrifying though they may be, I still think that it will be very interesting to be able to observe these starfish in person. I am also very curious to see if and how the research station we will be staying at disposes of these nasty buggers.