Slate pencil urchin
December 10,2015
slate pencil urchin
Scientific Name:Eucharists tribulations
Class: Echinoderm
Category: Sea Urchins
Size: 1 to 2 in. (2 to 5 cm)
Depth: 3-160 ft. (1-50 m)
Distribution: Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, Brazil
red slate pencil urchin
Scientific Name:Heterogeneous mantillas
Class: Echinoderm
Category: Sea Urchins
Size: 5 to 10 in. (12 to 25 cm)
Depth: 3-160 ft. (1-50 m)
Distribution: INDO-Pacific, Hawaii
SLATE PENCIL SEA URCHIN
A beautiful urchin with thick blunt spines. the spines, unless newly grown or most often covered with various organisms and algae. They have a unique, 5 point, woven design on the top and 5 beak-like teeth on the underside. Average diameter including spines 5 inches. Look for them at most depths. They can be found in areas of rubble, sea grass beds and reefs. Often wedged between rocks and other recesses. Colors brown, tan, rust.
My 6 facts about my Slate Pencil Urchin
>More specifically, they live in the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean, from Bermuda to Brazil.
> Although primarily herbivorous, slate pencil urchins are opportunistic feeders and will scavenge for other types of food.
>At first glance, slate pencil urchins just look like a big ball of spines, but there's more to them than that.
>They usually reach a diameter of 5 to 6 inches. Their thick spines -- which offer them some protection from predators -- are attached to a globular center.
>Despite males and females looking exactly alike, slate pencil urchins have distinct and separate sexes.