Purple Sea Urchin
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Adult purple sea urchins live on rocky reefs along the Pacific coast of North America, especially in kelp-forest habitats and wave-swept tide pools. They crawl slowly on tube feet and graze algae, drift kelp, and encrusting seaweeds with a strong jaw apparatus called Aristotle's lantern. Their rigid test and dense purple spines make them difficult prey for many fish, crabs, and sea otters. In large numbers, they can overgraze kelp beds and create sparse areas known as urchin barrens.
- Type
- Shell
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Purple Sea Urchin