Edible Sea-urchin

Name: Edible Sea-urchin

Scientific name: Echinus esculentus

Category: Marine

Nature Stars: 50

What are nature stars?

About: A large, round sea-urchin up to 15cm across with short, strong spines. Usually brick-orange in colour, with white bumps which the orange spines are attached to. Lives amongst seaweed and rocks, where it grazes on algae and small shellfish.

How to identify: The largest British sea-urchin.

Where: Found on rocky shores, particularly around the north and west.

Fantastic fact: An edible species, eaten particularly in Spain and Portugal.

Photograph credit: George Paterson