Lionfish and Spiky Things

A very neat collection of shells nestled in a fire urchin

This urchin is being eaten alive by a murex shell

I don't like urchins. But the Dorripe Crab does! Probably one of the funniest sights I've seen is this sea urchin carried by a Dorripe (porter) Crab.

Anyway, Sea Urchins are members of the Echinoderm (spiky-skinned) family, as are sea stars and sea cucumbers. Sea urchins have tube feet to help it to move, with the aid of the spines underneath its body. They move quite fast too.

When we saw the Astropyga Radiata (below)- and there were at least four of them in a cluster - moving around at very high speed, during a night dive, I couldn't decide if it was comical or scary. Maybe a bit of both, like watching the villain in a horror-comedy movie.

Another interesting thing about sea urchins is that its mouth, or more specifically, its jaw apparatus, is known as 'Aristotle's Lantern'.  Another classic example of a romantic name for a very unromantic-looking creature.  (eg Harlequin Sweetlips) 

Banded Sea Urchin

Sea urchins camouflaged during the day - rather amusing. It's like those times when you were a kid hiding under the table and covering yourself with a few pillows ... and then you wonder how mum found you so easily.