Finally, some good news regarding starfish! These beautiful animals are returning to populate the seas of California after a mysterious syndrome in recent years has killed millions of specimens.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himFinally some good news regarding the starfish! These beautiful animals are returning to populate the seas of California after a mysterious syndrome in recent years has killed millions of specimens.
Starfish reappear in all their glory on the western coast of California. This is excellent news, especially considering what had happened to him since 2013. In that year, the epidemic of "Sea Star Wasting Syndrome”, A disease that causes these animals to develop very severe white lesions followed by decaying tissue and arms that begin to stretch, twist and tear leading to death.
The disease is transmissible from one starfish to another and for this reason the epidemic has managed to spread widely. The cause of the phenomenon is unclear but researchers speculate it may be a virus and that waters that have become warmer due to global warming also played a role. The fact is that from 2013 to 2014 millions of starfish died.
As marine biologist Pete Raimondi said about the phenomenon at the time:
“Starfish can go from perfect health to being completely decomposed in a single night. We have never seen anything like it "
According to the researchers, this is actually not the first time that the mysterious syndrome has hit the West Coast. Something similar had been recorded in the 70s, 80s and 90s but never before 2013 had it been shown of such severity and spread over such a wide geographical area (the disease has spread death from Canada to Mexico).
Fortunately, it appears that the species is now past its worst and that the starfish spotted in Southern California are beginning to enjoy excellent health. Four adult starfish, each about 7-8 inches in length (between 17 and 20 cm), were spotted this month at Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach. They are the biggest stars that have ever been seen before the syndrome that hit them. The recovery, according to biologists, is very promising and bodes well.
However, the starfish are not completely out of danger yet. The syndrome has not completely disappeared yet, but rather it has appeared in the Salish Sea region of Washington state.
On starfish you may also be interested in:
- THE HORRIBLE SHOW OF THOUSANDS OF STARFISH BEACHED IN FLORIDA (VIDEO)
Researchers are also studying the impact that the declining sea star population may have on other species such as sea urchins and mussels.
