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Project Noah Nature School
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
A fairly large and common sea urchin along the west coast of North America. Most were in large colonies seen in pics 2 and 6. Ranged in size from 3 to 9 cm. Covered in sharp purple or bluish purple spines. Most of the colonies I found were in close proximity of large kelp beds, which is there favorite food. There mouth is located underneath (pics 4 and 5).
Spotted in tide pools at Tongue Point.
These sea urchins are very important to their habitat because they help maintain the amount of algae in the ocean.
Spotted on Apr 20, 2019
Submitted on Apr 27, 2019
1 Comment
Wow, so many, and so unusual. An excellent photo series, Brian, and thanks for adding the 'mouth' shots too.