Whats Killing the Starfish? Scientists Need More Clues - WASHINGTON — Scientists are struggling to find the cause of a gruesome disease that is killing off numerous species of starfish on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America. Researchers said on Thursday that they have ruled out some of the possible culprits, including fungi, some parasites and certain types of microbes. Now theyre considering whether viruses or bacteria may be to blame. The starfish, also called sea stars, are being obliterated by an unexplained wasting disease that causes white lesions to appear before the animals body sags and ruptures and it spills out its internal organs. Theres the potential that some of these species could actually go extinct, said Cornell University ecologist Drew Harvell, one of the scientists involved in the loosely organized search for a cause.
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 23:04:23 +0000
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