Urchin
Purple heart urchin
Spatangus purpureus
A larger, purplish-brown heart urchin covered in dense short spines, ploughing shallow trails just under the surface of clean sand and gravel in deeper subtidal water. Bigger and hairier-looking than the sea potato, with a distinct heart-shaped outline.
Usually seen at
19-135 m (median 45 m)
Size
Medium (10–50 cm)
Habitat
Sandy bottom
Behaviour
Burrowing, Hiding
Where it's seen
Occurrence records around the UK & north-east Atlantic (OBIS). The ringed marker is the PEBL filming site.
Reference photos
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