KEY ASPECTS OF THE STORY
5- CROWN-OF-THORNS STARFISH The Acanthaster starfish eats and kills corals, leaving a trail of dead corals in its wake. The corals defend themselves with the help of their team of associates, a worm and a shrimp who join forces to attack the “crown-of-thorns”. The impressive giant triton, which is the starfish’s main predator, hunts its prey, catching it on the dead coral, spearing it and enveloping it in its stomach (see photos). Between two reefs, on the white sand, the creatures of the coral are frightened by a formidable mass of Acanthaster, gathered to reproduce. There are perhaps 50 or 100 of them, spines intermingled. This vampires’ ball is a sadly brief respite for the reef. They will return, and in numbers. 6- SEA TURTLES The fall of the entangled sea turtles sinking gently towards the bottom as they frolic together, can sometimes crush a valuable hero. 7- HARLEQUIN SHRIMP A harlequin shrimp in its clown-like outfit, darts through the coral branches. It meets a neighbor, and they come together as they contemplate their prey, a young starfish. They harry it, paralyze it. The prey is turned over, cut open, and consumed.
8- CRABS A small porcelain crab hoists its colors, with its enormous pallet-like claws, two huge plankton-filters. Reaching out, it draws in all the particles as they drift down through the water. The boxer crab carries two sea anemones on its claws, giving it a fearsome appearance and a venomous defense against predators. Some crabs, too colorful, cannot venture too far from the protection of the anemone’s tentacles. To each his host...
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