Corals and Other Invertebrates Archives | Page 4 of 4 | Oceana

Crown-of-thorns Starfish

These outbreaks may be a result of overfishing of the crown-of-thorns starfish’s primary predator, the giant triton or they may be a natural phenomenon. These starfish are known to be more successful at preying on large swaths of coral reefs when the corals are already stressed. During times of coral bleaching or stresses caused by human activities, … Read more

Giant Pyrosome

Giant Pyrosomes are bioluminescent (light producing), giving rise to the common name, which comes from the Greek for fire (“pyro”) and body (“soma”). The light produced by Giant Pyrosomes is particularly bright and long lasting and is beautiful to witness. Because the individual tunicates can reproduce via cloning, the colony can regenerate injured parts or continue growing … Read more