Purple sea urchin
Paracentrotus lividus
- Scientific name
- Paracentrotus lividus
- Group
- Echinoderms (starfish, urchins...)
- Rarity
- Common
- Where to see it
- Mediterranean, Temperate Atlantic / English Channel
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least concern
Did you know?
The purple sea urchin grazes algae using five teeth arranged in a star pattern, a structure called Aristotle's lantern, and it's a prized ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine.
What defines this group — Echinoderms (starfish, urchins...)
Starfish, urchins and sea cucumbers: a five-fold symmetry found nowhere else in the animal kingdom.
- The body is arranged in fives around a centre: no head, no front, no back.
- They move on hundreds of tube feet driven by water under pressure.
- Many regrow a lost arm; some starfish can rebuild themselves from a single one.