The crown of thorns sea star is a native species in the Indo-pacific. This species is unique because it has a diet primarily consisting of coral. This is both good and bad. Crown of Thorn sea stars feed on mostly fast growing corals which allows the slower corals to be able to grow without excessive competition. However, in recent years there have been major population booms of these sea stars and then are consuming large amounts of coral and posing a serious threat to coral reefs. One of the most prominent places being affected is the Great Barrier Reef.
Divers see these sea stars and know that they are an issue so try to do good by slicing up the sea star with a diving knife. However, these sea stars can regenerate and cutting them up actually causes them to multiply. Researchers are trying to come up with solutions to the population boom, and what they have come up with so far is a robot that can detect crown of thorns sea stars and then use a needle to inject them with venom and kill them.
