Australia's Great Barrier Reef is under threat from a myriad of aggressors -- coral bleaching and climate change, pollution from proposed nearby developments, the crown of thorns starfish -- but help on one of those fronts may be coming from a huge, beautiful, mysterious snail. Invasion of the crown of thorns starfish is an ever-present hazard for the reef, as the spiky organism feeds exclusively on live coral. The tritons, which grow up to half a metre in length, are a natural predator for the crown of thorns starfish. The prey can smell the predator and predator smell the prey," she said. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were able to deploy or restock the reef with a natural predator?"

Source: Huffington Post September 18, 2017 03:45 UTC