According to King 5,
biologists recently went scuba diving in the waters of Puget Sound to
recover several different healthy and diseased starfish. During their
expedition, they noticed a disturbingly large number of starfish that
appear to have died and melted into a pile of goo on the ocean floor.
Although there are theories that this mysterious phenomena could be
related to a widespread viral infection outbreak, researchers are still
uncertain of the exact cause. It is now believed that as many as 60
percent of the local star fish species may be infected by this
mysterious illness.
CBC
reports that a diver recently spotted a large number of decaying
starfish in the waters of Whytecliffe Park in British Columbia.
According to Earthweek,
Canadian researchers have gathered healthy-looking starfish for
research only to find that they had disintegrated once they reached the
lab.
Biologists are concerned about how this mystery will affect the ecosystem as a whole.
This is not the first incident of widespread starfish deaths. In 2011, numerous dead starfish washed ashore along California's Sonoma Coast. It is believed that a red tide bloom was responsible for the deaths, according to The Bay Citizen.
This is not the first incident of widespread starfish deaths. In 2011, numerous dead starfish washed ashore along California's Sonoma Coast. It is believed that a red tide bloom was responsible for the deaths, according to The Bay Citizen.
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