Species · GBIF taxon 2278772
Black Sea Urchin
Arbacia lixulaAlso known as Black Urchin, Mediterranean Black Sea Urchin
Black sea urchins cling tightly to rocky shorelines and vertical stone faces, using their strong tube feet to withstand heavy wave action. Their deep black, hemispherical shells are covered in sharp, uniform spines that lack venom but can easily puncture human skin. These herbivores graze intensively on encrusting algae, maintaining open, barrens-like rocky habitats in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic.
MarineNocturnalInvertebrate
Licensed referenceFrédéric Ducarme / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
- diet
- Encrusting algae, biofilm, and small sessile invertebrates
- family
- Arbaciidae
- threats
- Habitat degradation, coastal development, and ocean acidification
- life Span
- 8 to 15 years
NE
Sharp spines can easily puncture skin if stepped on or handled; observe without touching.
Sharp, brittle spines can easily puncture human skin and break off, leading to painful localized inflammation or infection.
Never step on rocky shallows without protective footwear, and do not attempt to pry them from rocks with bare hands.- Look in shallows: Search for them on vertical rock faces and inside crevices just below the low-tide mark.
- Do not handle: Avoid touching or picking them up, as the brittle spines can break off under the skin.
- Watch for bare rock: Look for the light-colored grazing scars they leave behind on algae-covered stones.