Best Sea Urchin

The red sea urchin, historically called Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and now generally placed in Mesocentrotus, inhabits eastern Pacific coastal waters from Alaska to Baja California. It is a marine echinoderm with a rigid internal skeleton called a test, covered by movable spines. Recognized as...

Along the eastern Pacific coast from British Columbia to Baja California, the purple sea urchin inhabits rocky intertidal and subtidal waters. Strongylocentrotus purpuratus feeds mainly on kelp and other algae, using its grazing activity to influence the ecosystems around it. Its purple spines cover...

Long, slender spines give Diadema antillarum its recognizable outline in shallow Caribbean and western Atlantic waters. This sea urchin is often dark in color and uses its fragile, sharp spines for defense. Contact can cause painful punctures, but describing the spines simply as venom-tipped gives a...

Found in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean, Paracentrotus lividus is a regular sea urchin described by Lamarck in 1816. Its rounded body is enclosed by a hard skeletal shell, called a test, and covered with movable spines. Dark purple and brown are familiar colors, although individual...

Known as the flower urchin, Toxopneustes pileolus is a living species of regular sea urchin in the family Toxopneustidae. It inhabits shallow coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific, including areas around coral reefs. Its flower-like appearance comes from conspicuous stalked structures called pedicellar...

Commonly called the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus lives in coastal waters of the eastern Pacific. It is an echinoderm in the family Strongylocentrotidae and a regular sea urchin, with a rounded body organized around a radial pattern. Movable spines cover its hard shell, while tube...

Mesocentrotus franciscanus, commonly known as the red sea urchin, is a regular echinoderm belonging to the Strongylocentrotidae family. It inhabits kelp forests along the Pacific coast of North America. This species is notable for its size and commercially harvested roe, which is consumed globally....

Native to the northeastern Pacific from Alaska to Baja California, the red sea urchin inhabits rocky seafloors and kelp forests. Mesocentrotus franciscanus grazes on large algae and has a rounded hard shell, called a test, covered in spines. It is a particularly large sea urchin, with the test capab...

Diadema antillarum is a regular sea-urchin belonging to the Diadematidae family and found throughout the Caribbean. This extant species plays a significant role in maintaining healthy coral reefs by consuming algae. The 1983 mass mortality event dramatically impacted populations, making it particula...

Paracentrotus lividus, commonly known as the rock urchin or purple sea urchin, is a species of echinoderm found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It primarily inhabits rocky shores and seagrass meadows, where it plays a crucial ecological role by grazing on algae. The species...

Evechinus chloroticus, commonly called kina, is a sea urchin species endemic to the shallow coastal waters of New Zealand, including the Chatham and Subantarctic islands. It belongs to the family Echinometridae and is characterized by short, dense, usually dark-brown or greenish spines. The edible g...

Diadema setosum is a regular sea-urchin belonging to the Diadematidae family. This extant Indo-Pacific species is notable for its vibrant orange anal ring, a characteristic that distinguishes it within the *Diadema* genus. It’s particularly relevant to marine biologists and researchers studying urch...

The red slate pencil urchin is the Indo-Pacific sea urchin Heterocentrotus mammillatus. It is distinguished by large, blunt, club-shaped spines that are often red and provide a markedly different appearance from the thin spines of many other urchins. It inhabits rocky reef environments, where its gr...

The slate pencil urchin is a marine echinoderm found in the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific region. It is scientifically recognized as Heterocentrotus mammillatus and belongs to the family Echinometridae. The animal is distinguished by its exceptionally thick, blunt, and smooth spines, which are...

Mespilia globulus is a regular sea-urchin belonging to the temnopleuridae family. This extant species, often called the "tuxedo urchin," is notable for its distinctive dark and light rings around its body. It’s commonly kept in aquariums by enthusiasts and researchers studying echinoderm behavior an...

The shingle urchin (Colobocentrotus atratus) is a species of sea urchin found in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in areas exposed to heavy wave action. It is uniquely adapted to its harsh intertidal environment through its strongly flattened, dome-shaped test and modified, scale-like spines. T...

The flower urchin is the Indo-Pacific species Toxopneustes pileolus. Its short spines and conspicuous pedicellariae can create a flower-like appearance, while those structures contain venom capable of causing intense pain and other serious symptoms in people who touch them. It is therefore an animal...

The green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) is a cold-water marine echinoderm native to the coastal environments of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Characterized by its greenish test and protective spines, the species inhabits rocky subtidal zones where it grazes on algae and kel...

The fire urchin is the Indo-Pacific sea urchin Asthenosoma varium. It has a flexible body and vividly colored spines, often with contrasting bands or patches, which give it the appearance associated with its common name. Its spines and venomous pedicellariae can cause painful injuries, so the specie...

The flower urchin (Toxopneustes pileolus) is a species of sea urchin found in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly on coral reefs. It is covered with distinctive flower-like appendages called pedicellariae, which are actually venomous structures used for defense and capturing food. The flower urchi...

The collector urchin (Tripneustes gratilla) is a species of sea urchin distributed throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the east coast of Africa to Hawaii. It is named for its habit of covering itself with seaweed, shells, pebbles, and other debris, which is believed to provide camouflage and...

Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, commonly called the green sea urchin, is an extant species of sea urchin belonging to the Strongylocentrotidae family. It inhabits Arctic and subarctic waters. This urchin is notable for its resilience in cold environments and its edible nature. Researchers utilize...

The blue tuxedo urchin is the Indo-Pacific sea urchin Mespilia globulus. It is a relatively small species with a rounded body and contrasting blue and tan coloration, often arranged in bands or patterned areas. Because it grazes algae from hard surfaces, it is kept in some marine aquariums by people...

Echinothrix calamaris, or banded hatpin urchin, is a regular sea-urchin belonging to the Diadematidae family. This extant species inhabits the Indo-Pacific region and is notable for its striking pattern of alternating dark and light spines. It’s primarily studied by marine biologists researching ech...

*Tripneustes gratilla*, or the collector urchin, is a regular sea-urchin belonging to the Toxopneustidae family. It’s notable for its unique behavior of collecting and hoarding foreign objects – shells, pebbles, and even small fish – around its body. Found exclusively in the Indo-Pacific region, thi...

Diadema savignyi is a regular sea urchin belonging to the Diadematidae family and found throughout the Indo-Pacific region. This long-spined species is notable for its distinctive appearance and role in maintaining reef ecosystems. It’s frequently studied by marine biologists and researchers investi...

Mesocentrotus nudus is a regular sea-urchin belonging to the Strongylocentrotidae family. It inhabits kelp forests of the North Pacific, specifically around Japan. This species is notable for its prevalence and role in the ecosystem. Scientists study it to understand urchin populations and their imp...

The green sea urchin is Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, a cold-water species found across northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is harvested in places including Maine and Japan for its edible gonads, which are commonly sold as uni. The species is relevant both to commercial fisher...

Loxechinus albus, commonly known as the Chilean sea urchin, is a species of marine echinoderm native to the coasts of South America. Described by the naturalist Juan Ignacio Molina in 1782, it is the only recognized species within its genus and inhabits shallow, rocky subtidal zones from Peru to Arg...