Marine Life Identification Perth WA
Shore Diving
Sea Urchins & Sand Dollars
Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from 3 to 10 centimetres (1.2 to 3.9 in) across... (Wikipedia)
The term Sand dollar (or sea cookie and snapper biscuit in New Zealand) refers to species of extremely flattened, burrowing echinoids belonging to the order Clypeasteroida. Some species within the order, not quite as flat, are known as sea biscuits. Related creatures include the sea urchins, sea cucumbers and starfish... (Wikipedia)
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Spiky Urchin aka Stumpy Pencil Urchin
(Goniocidaris tubaria)
Photgraphs taken at Robbs Jetty.
What a great smile..........
Western Slate-Pencil Urchin
(Phyllacanthus irregularis)
Photographs taken at Point Peron & Robbs Jetty.
Western Hollow Spine Urchin
(Centrostephanus tenuispinus)
Photgraphs taken at Robbs Jetty.
Purple Urchin aka Common Urchin
(Heliocidaris erythrogramma)
This large aggregation of urchins Photographed at Point Peron.
I could not believe how many Urchins where here, it must of been in the hundreds in such a small area.
Urchin Test
Photographs taken at Point Peron & BBR.
I am unsure which Urchin these shells to, most probably the Common Urchin but that is just a guess.
(Brissus agassizii)
Lesueurs Sand Dollar
(Peronella Leseuri)
When diving have a look for disc shapes or the outline shapes in the sand. Just wave and disturb the sand over the outline and there is an excellent chance you will uncover one of these
IF YOU'RE NOT GOING DOWN: THEN WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING
