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Archived – Red sea urchins
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Red sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) are colourful creatures, varying between a uniform red and dark burgundy, that crawl slowly over the sea bottom, using their spines as stilts. They scrape off and tear up plant material from the sea floor, aided by a mouth armed with special jaws situated on the bottom surface of the animal.
Sea urchins belong to the marine invertebrate group called echinoderms or "spiny-skinned" animals. Close relatives of sea cucumbers and sea stars, they have spherical bodies, which are encased in a hard shell or "test," completely covered by many sharp spines. The species is large, with a maximum "test" diameter of over 18 cm and a maximum spine length of 8 cm.
They occur on most rocky subtidal habitats of British Columbia from just below the low tide line to perhaps 90 m. Their preferred habitat is rocky ground with quantities of their food source of seaweeds and kelp. They avoid rocky areas exposed to extreme wave action and areas with sediments such as sand and mud.
