Do starfish sting?
One very dangerous starfish is Acanathaster planci, the Crown of Thorns starfish. This creature is easily recognized by its large size, sometimes over 16″ in diameter. Its colour is reddish or greenish, has more than a dozen arms, which are covered in short, shark spines which will penetrate gloves, boots and wetsuits. I can attest to this! The spines are covered with toxic slime. Injury by the spines causes severe pain and nausea. And the pain can persist for days. Immersing the spiked area in HOT water can reduce the pain. Having been spiked in the foot during a filming assignment I can state that the pain was excruciating, a local anaesthetic helped, but best of all keeping my foot in a bucket of constantly replenished HOT water worked wonders. Medical attention is usually required. The Mosaic Sea Star, Plectaster decanus is another to be wary of. It can cause a skin rash if handle by bare hands. Another species, the Chain-Link Brittle Star, Ophiomastix annufosa has been reported to
