Purple sea urchin

Description:

Also known as Rock urchin, this is a reddish brown sea urchin, measuring in diameter some 6 to 7 cm, excluding spines. Spines reach some three cm in length, are reddish dark brown, and cover the entire body, they can be found also around the mouth opening. This urchin often covers itself wit pebbles or other debris. When taken out of water, spines are often disheveled and moving.

Habitat:

This sea urchin is found throughout the Mediterranean Sea and in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. This is one of the common species in Adriatic sea; and we observed it on all beaches in Dubrovnik riviera, on rocks and rocky bottoms in shallow waters close to shores. Here, on rocky beaches below a protected area with mediterranean coniferous forest.