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Sea Urchins - Spiny Relative of Starfish and Sea Cucumber

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Ranked #636 in Animals, #14578 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

These Strange Animals Have Spines That Can Be Dangerous!

 

About 1,000 species of sea urchins live in marine habitats ranging from the intertidal zones and shallow coral reefs to the deepest submarine trenches (such as the Marianas Trench--Challenger Deep near the island of Guam) up to 6,800m. Sea urchins live in all marine environments--including the Arctic Sea and the Antarctic Ocean.

Of the many different species of sea urchins, there are a few that produce eggs (called roe) that are considered edible--and even a great delicacy--for some folks (for sushi, in particular--pictures are below!).

New Flickr Photos 

Wilhelma08 (35) by kathrin_gaisser

Wilhelma08 (35)

Lionfish (Pterois volitans) by cliff1066

Lionfish (Pterois vo...

African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus) by cliff1066

African Bullfrog (Py...

Clown triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum) by cliff1066

Clown triggerfish (B...

National Aquarium in Baltimore by cliff1066

National Aquarium in...

Lionfish (Pterois volitans) by cliff1066

Lionfish (Pterois vo...

Spiny Butterfly Ray (Gymnura altavelais) by cliff1066

Spiny Butterfly Ray...

Coral Fish by cliff1066

Coral Fish

Pygmy Marmoset (Callithrix pygmae) by cliff1066

Pygmy Marmoset (Call...

Vietnamese Mossy Frog (Theloderma corticale) by cliff1066

Vietnamese Mossy Fro...

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Spines You Should Be Aware of! 

When you are snorkeling or diving in tropical waters, you should be aware of your surroundings (sort of a duh situation, right?). In particular, you can tell by the first picture in this Squidoo lens that the spines of certain sea urchins are not something to be trifled with. Although the spines of many sea urchines are somewhat blunt (for example, the "red pencil urchin"), the nasty long spines of the black urchin can do serious damage if you brush up against one or step on one with bare feet or put your hand on one. There is a toxin involved with the spines, and thus it's imperative that you remove the broken-off spines that impale your hand or foot (or other body part). The toxin is generally not fatal, but it can be extremely painful. Also, since the wounds can get secondary infections, you should get medical attention if you accidentally jab yourself with one of these creatures.

Sea Urchin "Eating a Cookie"... Probably not the best thing for it to eat! 

Sea Urchin Eating A Cookie

Here's the full take of feeding Oscar a biscuit, sped up, put to music, and some video effects for fun. (Isn't Lil' Urchy cute? Aww!) My second video ever! Whee! Movies are fun! (update: related link! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7tOWPRpwbU )

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Sea Urchins - Echinoderm Cousins of the Starfish and Sea Cucumber 

If you go to a Japanese restaurant--you can usually find Sea Urchin egg sushi... (It sort of looks like salmon eggs on rice, but it tastes okay... maybe an acquired taste, however!)

This is about the only way that's good to have a sea urchin on your shirt! 

.... The other way is a tad painful!

White T-Shirt

White T-Shirt

from Kalihiwai - Rippling Stream in the town of Kalihi

Buy Now

Organic Cotton Tee

Organic Cotton Tee

from Kalihiwai - Rippling Stream in the town of Kalihi

Buy Now

Sea Urchin Ceramic Travel Mug

Sea Urchin Ceramic Travel Mug

from AWOB Shop

Japanese proverb: "Foolishness, Sea Urchin of Foolishness"

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See more designs like these on CafePress
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Sea Urchin Goodies 

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The Amazing World of Sea Urchins! 

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Bluewater Gold Rush/The Odyssey of a California Sea Urchin Diver by Tom Kendrick

Bluewater Gold Rush/The Odyssey of a California Sea Urchin Diver by Tom Kendrick

An avid Santa Barbara surfer gets into sea urchin more...0 points

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Mouse Pad with animals, sea, urchins, ocean

Mouse Pad with animals, sea, urchins, ocean

Professional "Brite White" fabric mouse more...0 points

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Sea Urchin, Echinopluteus Larva Art Photographic Poster Print by Oxford Scientific, 36x48

Sea Urchin, Echinopluteus Larva Art Photographic Poster Print by Oxford Scientific, 36x48

AllPosters.com is the world's #1 seller of posters more...0 points

AllPosters.com is the world's #1 seller of posters, prints, photographs, specialty products and framed art. We're dedicated to bringing our customers the best selection of high quality wall décor that is perfect for their home or office. Browse our catalog of over 300,000 items that include entertainment and specialty posters, decorative prints, and art reproductions. Whether you're looking for your favorite movie or music poster, a framed Monet reproduction, or a print of the Eiffel Tower you w...

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Art Poster Metal Framed Print - Sea Urchins - Artist: Plantrose- Poster Size: 15 X 11

Art Poster Metal Framed Print - Sea Urchins - Artist: Plantrose- Poster Size: 15 X 11

Plantrose:Sea Urchins15 X 11 inches. High Quality more...0 points

Make Your Point--Leave a Note! 

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Thanks for submitting your great lens to my group Nature and Environment! Looks like something to NOT step on...

Posted January 05, 2008

Related topics: Sea Urchin,  coral reef urchin,  dangerous sea urchin,  Animals & Nature,  more

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EditorDave

About EditorDave

Living on Guam is what now "defines" me.  It was such a dramatic difference in my life and outlook on things that there's no way I'd be the same if I had remained in New Mexico or any of the rest of the U.S. Mainland.   One of the classes I took at the University of Guam was "Scientific and Technical Writing and Editing"... I did not realize at the time that this class would be setting the foundation for the rest of my working life.  I found that I *love* words and fooling around with making them work as best as possible.  I also took classes in formal linguistics at the University of Guam--and took classes in Japanese, Russian, Mandarin Chinese. These classes helped me to become comfortable with working with translations of technical material into English from other languages.  I can help folks with making their words work for the particular audience they are writing for.

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