Crown of thorns starfish, Dimaniyat Islands, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Middle East

Small fish hides in the venomous spines of a crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), Cairns, Queensland, Australia, Pacific

Sea star shimp (Periclimenes soror), on a crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), Yap, Micronesia, Pacific

A sea star shimp (Periclimenes soror), swims through a forest of spines on the back of a crown-of-thorns starfish, Micronesia, Pacific

A close-up of the underside of the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), United States of America, North America

Panamic Crown of Thorns Starfish, Acanthaster ellisii, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Panamic Crown of Thorns Starfish, Acanthaster ellisii, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on Coral Reef, Acanthaster planci, Cabo Pulmo Marine National Park, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Crown-of-Thorns Starfish, Acanthaster planci, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia

Crown-of-Thorns Starfish on Coral Reef, Acanthaster planci, Cabo Pulmo Marine National Park, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Crown-of-Thorns Starfish, Acanthaster planci, North Male Atoll, Maldives

Crown-of-Thorn Starfish, Acanthaster placi, Ahe Atoll, Tuamotu Archipel, French Polynesia

A Crown of Thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), on a tropical coral reef, in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll, The Maldives, Indian Ocean, Asia

A crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) feeds on a coral reef growing near an island in the Banda Sea, Indonesia.

A crown-of-thorns sea star (Acanthaster planci) feeds on a living coral colony among the remote, tropical islands of Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

A crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) feeds on coral near Cocos Island, Costa Rica.

An adult Crown-of-Thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), in the shallow reefs off Bangka Island, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

An adult Crown-of-Thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), in the shallow reefs off Bangka Island, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) eats coral on a healthy reef, Similan Islands, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Crown-of-Thorns seastar (Acanthaster planci) Adult animal working its way across sand towards a coral reef. Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, Pacific Ocean. More info: This species feeds on coral as an adult and, in the right circumstances, be devestating to large reef areas.

Underwater scenes from the lower Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Baja California Sur, Mexico. Shown here is an eastern Pacific Crown-of-thorns seastar (Acanthaster ellisii) feeding on coral.

Crown of Thorns and Knobby sea stars.USA, Channel Islands, CA

Detail of toxic Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), spines, crown of thorns, Pacific, Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO World Heritage, Australia, Oceania

Close-up detail of a crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci); Maui, Hawaii, United States of America

Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), feeding on coral, Sudan, Red Sea, Africa