Rock-Boring Urchin
Rock Boring Urchin
| Name: | Rock-Boring Urchin |
| Scientific Name: | Echinometra lucunter |
| Family: | Sea Urchins |
| Taxonomic: | Echinometridae |
| ID Group: | Sea Stars, Urchins, Cucumbers |
| Size: | up to 3 in. |
| Depth Range: | In shallow waters (0 – 15 ft.) |
| Sightings: | Seen often |
This Urchin has short, thick, sharply pointed spines that are usually black or red. The underlying body, or shell, is typically solid black, red, brown, or bluish.
The Rock-Boring Urchin hides during the day in small holes that it grinds out of rock or dead coral using its specialized teeth (boring into rock). It quietly leaves its burrow at night to feed on algae near its hole and defends its rock home against other urchins. Slow-growing and long-lived, it often lives for over 10 years. It is commonly found in shallow tidal zones but can also live in deeper water.