Scientists discover how coral-eating starfish communicate

Tokyo : Japanese and Australian scientists have discovered the communication patterns of a species of starfish that feeds on coral.This discovery, the scientists hope, will help in the preservation of the coral reefs as a single specimen of the crown-of-thorns starfish consumes up to 10 sq. metres of coral meat per year and is responsible for between 37 per cent to 99 per cent of the decrease in live coral cover, Efe news reported.This crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) species is "one of the few animals that can eat corals", Ken Baughman, one of the authors of the study by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, said on Monday.