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Project Noah Nature School
Light green, dried, hallowed shell in the shape of a pin cushion. There are white, raised spots in rows that start in the center and extend down along the sides to the other end. This one was dead, hallowed, and contained dead organism that was using it was a home before drying up.
Rocky beach at Point Lobos Ecological Reserve
Spotted on Aug 4, 2014
Submitted on Aug 7, 2014
8 Comments
Thank you for the comment, SukanyaDatta. I too recall seeing these in stores although I haven't seen an ashtray made from one. Although this one was dead, I'm glad I found it just outside its natural habitat.
As an undergraduate they took us to Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of mainland India and I purchased one of these...it was being sold as an ashtray. I asked about the spines...those were being sold separately as chalk pencils for writing on slates...I did not buy, wish I had. I still have the sea urchin ashtray.
LOL, well there's something new I learned today. :)
....no... a sea urchin skeleton is called a test :-) (Hi Cindy)
Hi Mark!
test
Thank you CorduneanuVlad. I wasn't sure :)
This is a sea urchin skeleton.