Photo: David Monniaux · Image source ·CC BY-SA 3.0
Animal profile · Other aquatic life · sea urchin
Purple sea urchin
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
The purple sea urchin is a spiny grazer of northeastern Pacific rocky shores and kelp forests. Its mouth scrapes algae from rock with a complex set of calcium-carbonate teeth.
Not a fish · an aquatic neighborWater
Saltwater
Low intertidal and subtidal rocky reefs, kelp forests, and crevices.
Temperature
Range not established
A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not established from the reviewed sources.
Size
About 5–10 cm (2–4 in) wide
About the size of a small orange.
Lifespan
Up to about 20 years
Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.
01 · Signature adaptation
What does it do?
It moves with tube feet and spines while grazing. Populations can strongly influence the balance between kelp forests and urchin-dominated rocky habitat.
02 · Home coordinates
Where does it live?
Northeastern Pacific coast from southern British Columbia to Baja California.
Regions: British Columbia · Washington · Oregon · California · Baja California
03 · The menu
What does it eat?
It grazes algae from hard surfaces with its five-toothed feeding apparatus.
Herbivore: kelp, red algae, brown algae, green algae.
04 · Remember this
Two wow facts
Purple armor
Its dense spines protect a rounded body equipped with tube feet and scraping teeth.
Sources [1]
Kelp connection
Its grazing can help shape whether rocky coastal habitat remains kelp-covered or becomes an urchin barren.
Sources [2]