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Sea urchins or urchins (/ ˈ ɜːr tʃ ɪ n z /) are typically spiny, globular animals, echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft; 2,700 fathoms). [1]
Diadema antillarum, also known as the lime urchin, black sea urchin, or the long-spined sea urchin, [2] is a species of sea urchin in the family Diadematidae. This sea urchin is characterized by its exceptionally long black spines. It is the most abundant and important herbivore on the coral reefs of the western Atlantic and Caribbean basin.
Its range extends from the Mediterranean Sea and North African coast to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. [1] The depth range is between 40 and 210 metres (130 and 690 ft). Off Florida this urchin is usually found on algae or on broken coral substrates, particularly the rubble remains of dead ivory bush coral (Oculina varicosa).
In Norway, small quantities are fished by hand by freedivers and SCUBA-divers. The fishery is not regulated, and the green sea urchin is considered a pest in the Norwegian waters, eating up the kelp forest. [14] It is not common to find the green sea urchin south of Hitra, and the urchin population is moving northward as water temperatures ...
Tripneustes gratilla, the collector urchin, is a species of sea urchin. Collector urchins are found at depths of 2 to 30 metres (7 to 100 ft) in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, Hawaii, the Red Sea, and The Bahamas. They can reach 10 to 15 centimetres (4 to 6 in) in size.
These days, long-spined sea urchins are known as the gardeners of the sea. They tend the algae on the coral reefs they call home, making sure it never overwhelms their hosts. Spotting one on the ...
For marine scientists, it was deja vu: Another die-off swept through the region in the 1980s and slashed sea urchin populations by around 98%. Last year, sea urchins in the Caribbean started ...
Sea urchins tend to be important members of their ecosystems by grazing on other organisms and stabilizing populations. In addition to this, sea urchins play a large role in different economies globally as the urchin themselves and their roe are sold for consumption. [1] The same is true for the species within the genus Echinus. [2]