Daylight reveals another reef predator.
Crown-of-thorns starfish,
coral killers.
Climbing over their prey,
they secrete digestive juices that turn the inside of the coral to liquid.
Then they suck out the nutrients,
leaving nothing behind but a ghostly skeleton.
In only a few days,
they can kill huge swathes of the reef.
Fortunately, coral has an unlikely ally,
the Triton's trumpet.
Believe it or not,
this is a predator on the prowl.
Its killer pounce revealed only when time is speeded up.
An unlikely hero, perhaps.
But the Triton's trumpet is an invaluable control on these starfish.
And the crown-of-thorns isn't the only coral killer on the reef.
The razor-sharp beaks of bumphead parrotfish
also put a dent in this living landscape.