Sea urchin

Biomimicry: the sea urchin's mouth and teeth have been used as a model for a grabber capable of sampling sediments on other planets such as Mars.

Where is the animal to be found?

It is found in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, Reunion and Mayotte, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, the Pacific Ocean as far as Polynesia and from southern Japan to Australia and New Caledonia. It is now found in the eastern Mediterranean, probably as a result of its larva being transported through the Suez Canal.

It lives in lagoons, on the surface of rocks, and on the sand near coral reefs, usually at a shallow depths. It is also found in seagrass beds and in disrupted environments where dead corals are abundant.

How can it be recognised?

Males and females cannot be identified morphologically. It looks similar to a spider.

What is distinctive about it?

Sea urchins breed by external reproduction, usually when the water temperature exceeds 24°C. The larvae drift for several months before sinking to the seabed to metamorphose into young urchins.