Rock Urchin
Psammechinus miliaris
Habitat: Rock pools to low shore and rocky sea bed
Depth: 1-100m
Food: Algae and young barnacles and molluscs
Size: Up to 50cm across
Lifespan: Unknown
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated (NE)
Smaller than the edible sea urchin, the rock urchin is very common in rock pools and below the intertidal zone. It has relatively long spines, making it very spiky, and these help it to bore into rocks to wedge itself there. It may be decorated by shells, small stones or seaweed to camouflage further. It grazes algae but also feeds on juvenile barnacles or other animals on the rocks.