Back to photostream

sea creature

Nice one, isn't it? :) I found him in Plakias and I had to say "hello" :))

 

English name: Sea urchin

Latin name: Echinoidea

Polish name: jeżowiec

 

Sea urchins are small, spiny sea creatures of the class Echinoidea found in oceans all over the world. (The name urchin is an old name for the round spiny hedgehogs sea urchins resemble.) Their shell, which is also called the "test", is globular in shape and covered with spines. The size of an adult test is typically from 3 to 10 cm.

Sea urchins are members of the phylum Echinodermata, which also includes starfish, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, and crinoids. Like other echinoderms they have fivefold symmetry (called pentamerism) and move by means of hundreds of tiny, transparent, adhesive "tube feet". The pentamerous symmetry is not obvious at a casual glance but is easily seen in the dried shell or test of the urchin.

 

7,395 views
20 faves
25 comments
Uploaded on June 6, 2008
Taken on May 14, 2008