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Fossil of Acrocidaris, an extinct sea urchin Echinoid fossils are the fossilised remains of sea urchins , spiny marine invertebrates that live on the seabed. Humans have been interested in these fossils for millennia, have considered them lucky, have imbued them with magical powers and linked them to their deities .
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]
The Antarctic sea urchin ranges in color from bright red to dull purple and can grow to 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in diameter. The test is globular with vertical rows of long, strong, white-tipped spines between which there is a dense covering of smaller spines and vertical rows of tube feet.
Sea urchin tests showing the ball parts of the ball and socket joints that articulate with the spines Iconaster longimanus, the icon seastar, showing plate ossicles Ossicles have a variety of forms including flat plates, spines, rods and crosses, and specialised compound structures including pedicellariae and paxillae .
The sea potato is a heart-shaped urchin clothed in a dense mat of furrowed yellowish spines which grow from tubercles and mostly point backwards. The upper surface is flattened and there is an indentation near the front. This urchin is a fawn colour but the tests that are found on the strandline have often lost
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 ...
The banded sea urchin has a slightly oval test (shell), reaching a diameter of about 5 cm. [1] Like almost all the Diadematidae (but it is in Echinothrix calamaris that it is most obvious) it has two different sets of spines, short and slender closed spines which go from yellow to dark (through brown) in colour and can deliver a nasty sting, and longer and thicker spines that are often banded ...
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%. Mystery solved: Scientists ID Caribbean sea urchin killer