Virus blamed in starfish die-off
The discovery could explain the deaths of millions of these sea creatures
![](https://www.snexplores.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/tkr_starfish_free.jpg)
This ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) is one of at least 20 starfish species suffering from a mysterious die-off. Experts have now identified a virus as the likely culprit. Infection can transform the marine creatures into puddles of slime.
D. GORDON E. ROBERTSON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (CC BY-SA 3.0)