The crown of thorns starfish is large, twenty-five to thirty-five centimeters in diameter, and has seven to twenty-one arms that are covered in spines.

棘冠海星很大，直径长达25到35厘米，有7到21条手臂，上面布满了刺。

youdao

Crown of thorns starfish normally live in high population densities.

刺冠海星通常生活在聚居的环境中。

youdao

The crown of thorns starfish is a coral reef predator that preys on coral polyps.

刺冠海星是一种以珊瑚虫为食的珊瑚礁捕食者。

youdao

Glen De'ath from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and colleagues determined that tropical cyclones - 34 in total since 1985 - were responsible for 48% of the damage, while outbreaks of the coral-feeding crown-of-thorns starfish accounted for 42%.

BBC: Half of Great Barrier Reef coral lost in last 27 years

The remaining two-fifths, they say, was predation by the crown-of-thorns starfish.

ECONOMIST: The Great Barrier Reef: Dr De��ath v the killer starfish | The

The World Wildlife Fund offers a commercial tour in Palau, Micronesia on which snorkelers can help their guide remove the invasive crown-of-thorns starfish, which every day eat their weight in coral polyps from fragile reefs.

BBC: Hunting possums �C and ecological balance �C in New Zealand