Heat-stressed reefs may benefit from coral-dwelling crabs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 11, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2025 / 02 / 250224155119.htm. Duke University.

In one of their experiments, the duo removed the largest species of coral guard-crab, T. flavopunctata (pictured, right), from 45 Pocillopora coral colonies in the path of a crown-of-thorns sea ...

In new studies, scientists found that the spotted lobster doesn’t just live on Florida’s coral reefs, it protects them – eating coral predators and repelling them with urine.

image: The team studied branching coral in the Great Barrier Reef. Photo by Julianna Renzi. view more . Credit: Photo by Julianna Renzi. For certain vulnerable corals, help is in the claws of a crab.

Scientists spotted fish, crabs, shrimp and other marine creatures using the coral for shelter and breeding. At about 112 feet ...

In short: Scientists have observed several crab species eating juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS) on the Great Barrier Reef. They also found areas with more CoTS had fewer starfish-eating crabs.

Fairy shrimp, fingernail clams and blue-spotted salamanders are among the fantastical inhabitants of these “coral reefs” of Eastern forests.

Runoff from land also hurts coral reefs, both through sediment and through nutrient pollution. Florida has a very active artificial reef program, with more than 4,000 reefs deployed since the 1940s.