Live Science Plus
Gallery: Sea Urchins
By
Tanya Lewis
published
Purple urchins
(Image credit: Jackie Sones)
Urchin spines
(Image credit: Claire Fackler, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries)
The urchin's spines help it skewer food and protect itself against predators.
Spawning female urchin
(Image credit: Dan Griffin)
The urchins breed annually around January, February and March.
Urchin larva
(Image credit: Elizabeth Lenz)
The urchins start out as free-floating larvae that may swim and feed for several months.
Urchin metamorphs
(Image credit: Eric Sanford)
Urchins undergo metamorphosis from a larval form to an adult form.
Inside-out urchin
(Image credit: Andreas Heyland)
Sea urchin larvae turn inside-out as the larvae metamorphose to adults.
Sea urchin genome
(Image credit: Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory)
Scientists recently sequenced the genome of the purple sea urchin.
