Starfish suffer mysterious and gruesome demise along west coast

The cause of the most deadly sea star epidemic in recorded history remains unclear, but experts believe it may be a poorly understood 'wasting' diseaseIt is a gruesome death. First the legs shrivel up, followed by lesions. Then the legs inch away and finally detach. The victim continues to deteriorate until it is nothing but a plot of sticky goo.This is the thoroughly unpleasant way by which scores of sea stars, also known as starfish, have perished along the North American west coast in the most deadly epidemic to hit the iconic echinoderms in recorded history. Continue reading...