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Other animals
Sea urchin
Sea urchin · Echinoidea
Sea urchins are armoured marine creatures whose spines and unique movements add life to rocky coasts and kelp forests.
Fact file
- Size
- Diameter usually 5 to 15 centimetres, rarely larger
- Males and females
- Males and females are not distinguishable from the outside
- Sounds
- Silent animals, occasionally a faint crackling when the spines move
- Diet
- Algae, seaweed, detritus and sometimes small animals
- Offspring
- Several thousand eggs are released into the water, larvae swim freely
How to identify Sea urchin
The sea urchin has an almost spherical or flattened body shape with a sturdy calcareous shell, often dark violet, greenish, brown or black in colour. Typical are the numerous spines, which arise from tiny articulated knobs and can vary depending on the species – some are short and robust, others long and thin.
Sea urchins usually reach a diameter of 5 to 15 centimetres. Between the spines you can see fine tube feet. The mouth is on the underside in the centre of the body and, together with the so-called Aristotle's lantern, forms a rasp-like structure for feeding.
More in the app
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- general viewing tips
Where Sea urchin live
Discover Sea urchin on your trip.
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