Sea Urchin in Black and White
by Mary Deal
Title
Sea Urchin in Black and White
Artist
Mary Deal
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A sea urchin, also known as a sea hedgehog, is a hard-shelled, spine-covered sphere that lives in the ocean that can live up to 30 years old. The sea urchin's mouth is located on the bottom of its body and is surrounded by five tooth-like plates. These plates are called Aristotle's Lantern.
Sea urchin spines are used for mobility, protection, and feeding. Among the spines, the sea urchin also has tiny tube-like suction cups that help it move, eat and attach itself to rocks or the ocean floor. The sea urchin is an echinoderm and does not have a brain.
Sea urchins live almost anywhere in the ocean and are found throughout the world and mostly in deeper water, though they do come close to shore. I found the ones in my images in about 10 feet of water, but they were already dead, the shells empty. Near the shore, sea urchins carve out holes in rocks to live in.
The artist, Mary Deal, is also an award-winning author of mystery/thrillers, a short story collection and writers' reference books. Read about it here:
http://tinyurl.com/3z8pm3f
Uploaded
December 31st, 2010
Embed
Share
