Tidepools Up Close and Personal

What is that strange looking round thing in the upper part of the picture? It is
the shell or “test” of a creature called a Purple Sea Urchin. Have you ever seen a “Koosh Ball?” Well, Purple Sea Urchins look like purple Koosh Balls when they are alive. They are covered with purple spines. Look closely in the photo and you can still see some purple spines laying on top of the broken shells. These spines SLOWLY move the urchin along the rocks. The spines help the animal grip onto the rough surfaces of the tide pool so that it can eat algae, seaweed, and small bits of deceased sea creatures. The spines help protect the urchin from predators. At one time, the “test” of this urchin was filled with goopy stuff, like intestines and eggs (if it was a female). The eggs of the urchin are called roe in English and uni (ooh-nee) in Japanese. The roe or uni is found in gourmet recipes and in sushi. The Purple Sea Urchin is also a favorite snack for large sea birds, Sea Otters, Starfish, and the Wolf Eel. So maybe a Starfish ate most of the guts of this Purple Sea Urchin. Then, the little leftover pieces were consumed by snails, fish, and our friend the Striped Shore Crab. Nothing goes to waste. Only the test remains. Eventually the test will get broken down into smaller and smaller pieces and become sand. Look at all the beautiful colors in this photo. Each one of these tiny bits of color was either a rock or the shell of a living creature. See the big blue shell of the California Mussel? Can you see a couple more items that look like they might have been the shells of other animals?

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