Crown-of-thorns starfish occurs where coral reefs or hard coral communities occur in this region. The body form of the crown-of-thorns starfish is fundamentally the same as that of a typical starfish, with a central disk and radiating arms. Its special traits, however, include being disc-shaped, multiple-armed, flexible, prehensile, and heavily spined, and having a large ratio of stomach surface to body mass. Its prehensile ability arises from the two rows of numerous tube feet that extend to the tip of each arm. In being multiple-armed, it has lost the five-fold symmetry (pentamerism) typical of starfish, although it begins its life cycle with
Starfish Greathearts Foundation Foundation UK delivers development programmes through Starfish Greathearts Foundation South Africa, which is a non-profit organisation (039-447-NPO), Section 21 Company (2003/002865/08) and Public Benefit Organisation (930008639) in South Africa. Starfish launched Starfish Greathearts Foundation USA as a full-time office in New York in 2007 and also has a volunteer division in Canada. Starfish Greathearts Foundation UK is a member of the UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development as well as the Fundraising Standards Board, a self-regulatory scheme to ensure best practice in fundraising. Starfish supports newly orphaned children, or those left to look after sick and dying parents, with