Fire urchin
Asthenosoma varium
- Scientific name
- Asthenosoma varium
- Group
- Echinoderms (starfish, urchins...)
- Rarity
- Rare
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Not evaluated
Did you know?
The fire urchin bears venomous spines topped with bright, easily visible sacs that warn off predators, yet certain shrimp and a small crab live safely tucked among its spikes.
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.