Species: Green sea urchin

Latin name: Psammechinus miliaris
Size: up to 5cm diameter
Colour: green
Habitat: mid and lower shore on the underside of rocks
Facts:

Urchin is the old English word for a hedgehog, so these are the hedgehogs of the sea
Their shell is called a ‘test’ and is covered in spines which are green and tipped with purple
They eat seaweed
Sea urchins are closely related to starfish. In rockpools you often find green sea urchins sharing the same space under rocks as cushion starfish
They are good at camouflage using stones and seaweed stuck to their spines to blend in with the rockpools, so look closely in our tanks if you want to see one

Seashore code: All shells in shops including sea urchin ‘tests’ have come from live animals being caught and killed for the trade - try to find your own empty natural shells by beach combing rather than supporting this trade