Family: Echinometra
Sea urchins are pincushion-like animals. The sea urchins in the Bahamas have thin, sharp spines that can grow between 10 to 20 cm long. They have hundreds of tiny, tubed feet and five teeth in the middle of their back. The sea urchin's teeth continue to grow throughout it's life. They use their teeth to pull, tear and rip algae from rocks.
Sea urchins grow to about 4 inches and can be found in many different colours. Some sea urchins take 4 or 5 years to grow to full size. When sea urchins die their round, white egg-like skeletons wash up on the beach.
Cool Fact: Sea urchins are mostly empty inside, except when they are carrying eggs. Sea urchins got their name from an old English word that means it is like a porcupine.