Imagine you are in the ocean and you come across a spiky ball looking thing. You may be wondering what this is. Well, this is a Long Spined Sea Urchin or if you want to be scientific, then they are known as Diadema antillarum. These painful looking creatures are found in shallow waters of the Atlantic Ocean, primarily in the Bahamas and in Eastern Florida. They tend to enjoy quiet waters, so you probably will not come across them in areas where children are flailing their limbs and screaming at the waves that will eventually knock them over. The urchins would not like that environment.
They are often found chilling in sea turtle grass beds or on rock bottoms where they just live their best lives. They are extremely sensitive to light so they will feed at night. If they see a shadow coming they will start to move away. They really do not like disturbances in the slightest. Long Spined Sea Urchins feed on algae and bits of coral so they are primary consumers. Their predators include Queen Triggerfish, Spiny Lobsters, Carribean Helmets and Toadfish. However if you want to be technical, humans are also a predator because in some cultures, it is very common to eat these spiny bois. So since human feed on them I guess they would also be considered predators as well.
In addition to mainly being black the urchins can also be white or have ring patterns so they can be different looking. Long Spined Sea Urchins are very fragile and will break easily but similar to starfish they will grow back their spines after a few days. Long Spined Sea Urchins are poisonous, most if not all urchins are like that. It is nothing that cannot be treated though. For fish it can do damage to them but for humans, it is nothing TOO serious. Although the sea urchins look tough, emo and they can sting, they still should be saved similar to all other sea life. In the recent years there has been a serious decline in their populations due to an unknown pathogen that has been killing them off. Regardless, they should still be saved. Everything is here for a reason and everything serves a purpose even if you look like a spiky ball.
If you have ever came across an urchin, tell your experience in the comments!!
I had no idea that urchins were that sensitive to light and sound and everything! I always figured they were just like whatever and did their thing. I didn't think something that didn't have eyes or sensitive looking skin would be that sensitive to light. So cool! I came across some urchins in Mexico when I was younger. One of the instructors put one in my hand and you could feel it's mouth vacuuming onto your hand to latch on! There was also a lot of mini urchins around the beach, so when we came in from snorkeling we often would step on them or get caught up in their groups. Did not feel great. Super interesting post!
ReplyDelete