Sea Urchin Seashell Coaster

This is a photo image of a sea urchin shell placed on a round ceramic coaster to make it look like a seashell. Sea urchins are echinoderms, which means they are in the same family as starfish. Sea urchins are invertebrates which rely on an exoskeleton to give their bodies structure. Sea urchins move about on tube-like cilia with tiny suckers for feet. Sea kelp provides food and a habitat for sea urchins, but if the urchin population is not kept in check, sea urchins will destroy kelp beds within a decade. Sea otters perform population control on the urchins by capturing and eating them. The roe of the sea urchins provides a rich source of nutrients.