Red sea urchins and kelp
Close-up of a sea urchin with purple spines
A fish with a sea urchin in its mouth
Sea urchins surrounded by green water
Sea urchin
Close-up of a sea urchin
A sea urchin in a coral reef
Close-up of a blue sea urchin
Sea urchins in a tidal pool
Close-up of a sea urchin with red spines
A red sea urchin underwater
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Red Sea Urchins, British Columbia

Visually arresting, hazardous to swimmers, and—to some cultures—delicious, sea urchins are also revealing new information to the scientists who study them.

Here, red sea urchins carpet a kelp forest off British Columbia. The marine invertebrates are important links in the marine food chain. Fish pick at the urchins, which feed on bits of algae.

Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic

Sea Urchins

Visually arresting, hazardous to swimmers, and—to some cultures—delicious, sea urchins are also revealing new information to the scientists who study them.

November 12, 2009

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