[ti:]
[ar:]
[al:]
[00:00.15]Daylight reveals another reef predator.
[00:05.50]Crown-of-thorns starfish,
[00:09.00]coral killers.
[00:10.78]Climbing over their prey,
[00:12.15]they secrete digestive juices that turn the inside of the coral to liquid.
[00:17.02]Then they suck out the nutrients,
[00:19.66]leaving nothing behind but a ghostly skeleton.
[00:22.78]In only a few days,
[00:23.99]they can kill huge swathes of the reef.
[00:27.55]Fortunately, coral has an unlikely ally,
[00:32.28]the Triton's trumpet.
[00:34.98]Believe it or not,
[00:36.29]this is a predator on the prowl.
[00:40.34]Its killer pounce revealed only when time is speeded up.
[00:45.22]An unlikely hero, perhaps.
[00:47.71]But the Triton's trumpet is an invaluable control on these starfish.
[00:53.08]And the crown-of-thorns isn't the only coral killer on the reef.
[00:57.75]The razor-sharp beaks of bumphead parrotfish
[01:00.94]also put a dent in this living landscape.