Sea Urchins?

[Soonerwink]

Rig Dive at Flower Gardens on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I have never seen a Sea Urchin Moving. I was wondering how do they get on a rig? This photo was taken on a rig in the Flower Gardens, or on the edge of the Flower Gardens.

[Soonerwink]

Copy of P9170064_edited-1 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I can't figure out how to insert a picture. Here is another photo of the same kind of Urchin on the bottom. I just can't figure out how they can get so high on to the rigs.

[Soonerwink]

Man, thats a long slow climb up the rig supports. I was told it was about 300 ft. to the bottom.

[AquaGirl]

I had many different sea urchins in my saltwater tank, actually one that looks EXACTLY like your pic (black and white and very long spines), he was the fastest of them all - you'd be amazed when you see them hunt something down how fast they can go. I commented all the time about "can you believe he just made it to the other side of the tank that fast"!!

[Soonerwink]

Originally Posted by AquaGirl

I had many different sea urchins in my saltwater tank, actually one that looks EXACTLY like your pic (black and white and very long spines), he was the fastest of them all - you'd be amazed when you see them hunt something down how fast they can go. I commented all the time about "can you believe he just made it to the other side of the tank that fast"!!

Thats sounds like a fantastic tank, I wish I had one. I just keep spending my extra funds on dive gear, dive trips, and now underwater camera gear. Plus who would mind the tank when I'm on a dive trip.

[AquaGirl]

Originally Posted by Soonerwink

Thats sounds like a fantastic tank, I wish I had one. I just keep spending my extra funds on dive gear, dive trips, and now underwater camera gear. Plus who would mind the tank when I'm on a dive trip.

Well I say "had" a saltwater tank I guess. I just moved and told my former boyfriend just to keep the tank (pay me $$$ of course - but keep it). It was fun and fascinating to watch, but when something goes wrong in the tank, it usually goes REALLY WRONG. I lost a lot of money when something went wrong and there were a lot of fish/corals that don't do well captive - so it's a sad waste when someone unknowingly buys a difficult fish and it dies. I felt HORRIBLE when my Mandarin Goby died, he was beautiful, but this was a hobby because I wasn't certified to scuba and see these guys in their natural environment. From now on I plan on spending my time and money on scuba so don't feel bad. I actually just bought myself a nice underwater camera so I can see the fish and corals afterwards and this way no one dies in a tank!

[bversteegh]

When diving around piers/docks at night, you need to be really careful while diving - they move pretty fast. I got nailed by one of the black ones a year ago - he crawled under me while I was taking a picture of a critter on a pier leg. I had checked beneath me when I set up - it was clear, after the picture, I lowered down to turn around and swim clear and took a hit right in the thigh (went right through a 3 mil wetsuit) - it hurts, and took a couple weeks for all the little pieces to work out.

[navyhmc]

Originally Posted by petard

Locomotion is by a combination of spine movement & podia (pod feet). An Olympic speed champion Urchin chasing down a food source may travel around 50cm or so a day.

PS .. The fish is the only thing I can see well enough to identify. Could you point out the Urchins, I can't pick them out.

Just below the fish in the foreground is a series of three wavy verticle lines and just below those lines is a bunch of black spikes sticking up in several directions. That is the Sea Urchin.

[rach]

we have those kind down here, and they sure can deliver a mad sting!

[CompuDude]

They move surprisingly fast when they want... much like a starfish.

As to how they got there, it's likely they floated there at the larval stage and grabbed hold when they "landed".