22 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
SEA URCHIN
By LYNETTE RAE McADAMS
FOR COAST WEEKEND
A
ll across the globe,
from the tropics to the
poles, more than 900
species of sea urchin inhabit
Earth’s oceans. Known by
their spiny, spherical exteri-
ors, they can be found from
the shallows of the intertidal
zone all the way down to
depths exceeding 16,000 feet,
making them some of the
most adaptive creatures to
inhabit the sea.
Ranging in color from
pale orange, pink and yellow
to bold, deep hues of red
and purple, the sea urchin’s
signature spines act as a
brilliant defense mechanism.
Protruding from the shell
in ball-socket joints, each
movable spine tapers to a nee-
dle-fine point and can orient
itself toward any would-be
attacker the urchin perceives.
Though it lacks eyes or any
semblance of a true brain, the
urchin’s nervous system is
made up of specialized sense-
cells that line these spines
as well as tubular feet the
creature uses to slowly propel
itself across the ocean floor.
Reputations to the con-
trary, only a few species of
sea urchin are poisonous to
humans, and none of them are
deadly. While some spines
carry toxins to paralyze pred-
ators, troubles that arise from
close encounters are more
often puncture wounds that
aren’t properly cleaned and
become infected.
Omnivorous, sea urchins
exhibit a strong preference
for algae and kelp but will
eat just about anything that
remains slow-moving enough
for them to conquer. Position-
ing themselves over a chosen
entrée, strong muscles aligned
around a circular mouth on
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Live sea urchins in a tide pool
the urchin’s underside help
push food into the oral cavity,
where five arrow-shaped
plates of bone work like teeth
to grasp, grind, scrape and
pull the food inside. This
jaw-and-tooth mechanism
is known as “Aristotle’s
lantern,” and is named for
the famous philosopher who
first described it almost 2,500
years ago.
Sea urchin is revered as a
delicacy in several cultures,
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most notably Japan, where
wholesale prices for this
tempting sushi, called “uni,”
can soar to $130 a pound.
Typically consumed raw, the
only edible parts of the animal
are the reproductive organs,
which connoisseurs describe
as creamy and buttery, with
a texture like custard and an
unsurpassed, delicate flavor
of the sea. Some of the most
prized samples are gathered
by the “Haenyeo,” an all-fe-
male group of divers from the
Japanese island of Jeju, who
collect their wares without the
aid of mechanical devices and
whose history dates back to
the 14th century.
Among the longest-living
organisms on our planet,
some species of sea urchin
can live up to 200 years, and
— like their close relative
the sea star — can regenerate
body parts lost to trauma
or disease. Recent genome
studies have identified spe-
cific DNA sequencing that
appears to return cells to their
stem cell state and may prove
useful in the study and treat-
ment of aging, Alzheimer’s
disease and cancer.
Culturally, sea urchins
have long been a sign of
good fortune and ancient
fossils of their shells are be-
lieved to have been worn and
used as powerful amulets. In
modern times, artists have
depicted them in sculptures
and paintings, none more
famous than the surrealist
Salvador Dali, who featured
them regularly in his work
and is reported to have one
day enjoyed no less than 36
for a luncheon meal.
Locally, the most common
sea urchin in our waters is the
gorgeous purple sea urchin
(Strongylocentrotus purpu-
ratus), who makes regular
appearances in regional tide
pools. Upcoming summer
low tides during daylight
morning hours offer a great
opportunity for exploration,
specifically June 14 to 17,
July 13 to 16 and Aug. 10
to 12. Check your local tide
tables for exact times. CW