Photo by George Perina

Multi-colored, from greenish-blue to red. Easily identified by the abundance of sharp spines ranging over the entire surface of the starfish, hence the name crown of thorns. The sea star has a relatively large disk with shorter arms.

Crown of Thorns Starfish
(Acanthaster planci)

	Widespread throughout most tropical oceans, including the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific to Australia
	Coral reefs and coral sands
	Coral Polyps
The status of this species is representative of the populations within the waters of this Sanctuary only, not global populations.
	The Crown of Thorns starfish is considered to be the single greatest threat to coral reef ecology, with the exception of Man.
	- Community Environmental Research - AIMS