Source: UPI [1]
June 4, 2012

"TOKYO, June 4 (UPI) -- Hundreds of crown-of-thorns starfish found on a beach in southern Japan became stranded because they were weakened by starvation, researchers say.

More than 800 of the creatures were discovered on a 1,000-foot stretch of sand on Ishigaki Island in January, a report in the journal Coral Reefs reported.

A population "outbreak" was first noted in 2009 when masses of juvenile starfish were seen feeding on the island's outer coral reef, eventually completely deleting the food source in the next three years, researchers said."

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