'Peter Pan effect': Why reef-killing crown-of-thorns starfish more dangerous than previously thought npomalley
She said the research suggested that when reefs struck by bleaching recovered they could be attacked by outbreaks of young starfish.
Researchers grew two groups of starfish to the age of 10 months and 6.5 years respectively, preventing them from eating coral. They found both groups grew to the same maximum size of 16 to 18 millimetres, and that the second group had no trouble switching to a coral diet at the age of 6.5 years.Once on a coral diet the starfish can rapidly grow to up to a metre in length and consume a square metre of reef in a day or two, said Professor Maria Byrne, who supervised the research.
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