Shingle Sea Urchin

by Deborah League

Title

Shingle Sea Urchin

Artist

Deborah League

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

A Shingle sea urchin in a deep purple shade is seen against a rocky background at low tide. Its protective armored plates are arranged in a symmetrical pattern around its central body, radiating outwards which gives off an almost floral appearance.

This sea creature was photographed on one of my hikes along the Pacific ocean in Hawaii.

Shingle or helmet urchins, known as haukeuke kaupali in Hawaii, have armored plates instead of spines to keep them protected from crashing waves in the tidal zone. Normal sea urchins have long spikes all over their shell to fend off predators, but helmet urchins live in waters with fewer predators therefore the spikes are unnecessary.

Uploaded

March 7th, 2024

Colors

Embed

Share

Tags