Marine kzh. Jellyfish, corals, polyps

sea ​​urchins belong to the class of echinoderms. They appeared on Earth about 450 million years ago. Now there are about 940 species.

Sea urchins live mainly in oceans and seas with water of normal salinity. Mainly meeting on seabed up to 7 meters, they get their own food there.

What do sea urchins eat?

Most representatives of this species are omnivores. Sea urchins feed on a variety of algae, molluscs, sponges, bryozoans, ascidia, carrion, and also starfish and smaller sea urchins. Some representatives of this species, namely the purple strongylocentrotus, are even able to catch and feast on the mantis shrimp. Sea urchins that live in sandy or soft ground eat silt and sand, swallowing microscopic organisms along with it.

Sea urchins eat food through their mouth, which is located in the lower part of the body. The hedgehog has five jaws in its mouth, each of which contains a number of powerful teeth that grow throughout life. His oral apparatus sea ​​urchins easily scrape algae and other small organisms from rocks.

In turn, sea urchins serve as food for many species of fish, birds, starfish, lobsters, fur seals, but most big hunter on hedgehogs is considered sea ​​otter. In many otters, from eating large amounts of hedgehogs, the bones and entrails are sometimes stained with a purple pigment.

The sea urchin (Echinoidea) is a unique animal that lives in the depths of salt waters. Pacific Ocean. Most of the species, despite the frightening "prickly" appearance, are absolutely safe for humans. Some can even be picked up without fear of being hurt by a sharp needle, while others have such small spines that they seem velvety to the touch. But there are also poisonous representatives of these marine inhabitants. It is a useful object in terms of cooking and medicine, and it is also popular for cosmetic purposes. Sea urchin caviar is considered especially useful and valuable.

Description and habitat

Sea urchins have a rounded body, reaching up to 30 cm in size. From above it is covered with a calcareous shell, or shell, which allows you to change the shape of the body. According to their structure, sea urchins are divided into correct and incorrect. The correct ones have an almost perfectly round body and five-beam symmetry, while the irregular ones have a flatter body, with distinguishable front and rear ends.

Needles of various lengths are movably connected to the shell of the sea urchin, which makes it look like a land relative, or porcupine. They can reach up to 30 cm in length, depending on the species. Needles mainly serve for protection, locomotion and nutrition. Also on the surface of the shell of hedgehogs are pedicellaria and special organs needed for balance - spheridia.

Some species are equipped with poisonous glands, and a meeting with such representatives can end in failure. They live mainly in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.

The mouth of the sea urchin is located in the upper part of the body. It has a special chewing apparatus that allows you to scrape algae from stones, and also serves as a support for the movement of the animal. Such a structure is characteristic of regular sea urchins, while the wrong ones, feeding on detritus, do not have such an apparatus.

The intestine is a spiral tube that runs inside the body. For breathing, the hedgehog uses external gills, the ambulacral system, and the adnexa. The organs of touch and smell are poorly developed. In addition to spheridia and ambulacral legs, the hedgehog has small eyes on the upper side of the body.

Sea urchins are widely distributed in fairly salty seas and oceans. They live at a depth of about 7 km. You can often meet their representatives on coral reefs and shallows, as well as in the coastal zone. They settle in rocks and deep crevices, digging holes for themselves even in hard granite. Not correct hedgehogs prefer soft sandy soil, in which they also successfully burrow. You will not meet sea urchins in the slightly saline waters of the Black, Caspian and Baltic Seas.

Nutrition and lifestyle

Sea urchins are mostly omnivores. They feed on algae, a variety of marine organisms, mollusks, starfish and even eat their own kind. Those species that settle in sandy burrows can swallow sand and eat small organisms that have fallen with it.

A terrible enemy of the sea urchin is considered to be a sea otter - a predatory sea otter. He is so addicted to eating these animals that even their bones turn purple with hedgehog pigments. This otter either smashes hedgehogs with stones, or at first twirls in its paws for a long time, wrapping seaweed to crush the needles, and then bites into it with its teeth. Lobsters are also unsafe for hedgehogs, sea ​​stars, fish, birds and fur seals.

Hedgehogs are dioecious animals that breed by caviar, laying it in shallow water or coastal rocks.

The average life span of sea urchins is approximately 15 years. There are legends that tell about the immortality of hedgehogs, according to which older individuals did not experience any changes and signs of aging.

Composition and useful properties

The sea urchin is valued for its rich vitamin and mineral composition. They feed on useful seaweed, thereby accumulating in themselves all the good substances and which also apply to its caviar.

Caviar and sea urchin meat contain useful minerals such as:

Present in large numbers, (, and others). It is a huge source of fatty acids and, as well as nonessential and essential amino acids (,).

The product is about 86 kcal per 100 grams. The content is approximately 13.8 grams, the share is 4.3 grams, and - 2.5 grams.

Regular consumption of meat and caviar of sea urchins will bring invaluable benefits to the human body. The lecithin included in their composition has a positive effect on the functioning of the liver and brain, helps to get rid of harmful and dangerous toxins, toxins, and reduces the level. And the omega they contain fatty acid they will charge you with energy and vivacity, help you cope with depression, restore cheerfulness and optimism. The high content of iodine contributes to the stable functioning of the endocrine system and is the prevention of diseases. thyroid gland. Sea urchin caviar has the ability to remove toxins, radionuclides and harmful substances from the body, helps to restore the body after chemotherapy and radiation sickness. This product was often included in the diet of the Japanese after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Application in medicine

The healing properties of sea urchins have been noticed and appreciated for a long time. These products contain so many useful substances, vitamins and minerals that they are often used for treatment and prevention. various diseases. Research scientists in the field oncological diseases showed that some substances contained in sea urchin caviar are capable of infecting cancer cells. At the same time, healthy cells undergo a kind of cleaning.

Regular consumption of meat and caviar of these animals contributes to:

• normalization of blood pressure;
• potency increase;
• removal of harmful substances, radionuclides and toxins from the body;
• increase immunity and improve the protective function of the body;
• improvement of the thyroid gland and sexual function;
• normalization of the cardiovascular system;
• recovery of the body after radiation and chemotherapy;
• prevention of gastritis, ulcers, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Russian scientists from the Center for Space Research have developed special tablets based on the healing properties of the sea urchin, used in extreme physical activity. These pills help astronauts avoid physical and nervous exhaustion during space flights.

Nutritionists from Primorsky Krai have created a strong tincture based on sea urchin caviar. This invention is widely used in medicine as a homeopathic tonic. The medicine helps to increase sexual desire, improves immunity and increases the protective properties of the body. Tincture can help to avoid alcohol intoxication of the body. To do this, you need to take it before and after drinking alcohol.

Sea urchin caviar tincture recipe

The preparation of this tincture is extremely simple. You just need to sort the caviar, rinse it well with warm sea water and pour it with a heated alcohol solution with a strength of up to 70% in a ratio of 1:25. The resulting product is left to infuse in a dark place for 4 days at room temperature. The solution is then filtered and settled. In such a tincture, all the beneficial properties of caviar are preserved, and the healing drink acquires them in full.

Application in cooking

Meat and caviar of sea urchins are used for making sushi, salads, and other cold dishes. They are often eaten fresh. If the caviar is bitter at the same time, you can add a few drops of lemon juice or soy sauce to it. In European cuisine, caviar undergoes heat treatment: it is fried and baked. With its help you can cook:

• Italian pasta or spaghetti;
• pate;
• various sauces;
• spices.

In Italy, sea urchins are also served with dessert dishes. Granite ice cream, which is made from fruit juice mixed with alcohol. Often used for this, which goes well with the meat of these marine life.

How to choose and store

When choosing a delicacy, you need to pay attention to the color, smell and appearance of the product. The needles should not stick out in different directions, but rather lie close to the body. The color of the caviar should be orange and should not have an unpleasant odor.

It is best to store caviar in canned form. It is better not to store a fresh product, but to eat it immediately. Since in the refrigerator or when frozen, the product loses its beneficial properties, acquires a bitter aftertaste, loses elasticity and quality.

Use in cosmetology

It is with the consumption of meat, and especially caviar, sea urchins that the long life expectancy of the Japanese is associated. Japan has a national holiday that takes place once a year. On this day, you must definitely buy a sea urchin and, having opened its shell, drink the liquid contained in it and eat a piece of caviar. Such a ritual allows you to completely rejuvenate and refresh the body.

The meat and caviar of the sea urchin are considered the elixir of youth and beauty. Saffron, noni, trepang, perga and yarsagumba also have properties similar to it in action.

The immune system of these marine representatives contributes to its longevity and immortality. He can live up to 200 years without aging, and without losing the ability to procreate. Recently, American scientists found that his DNA is 70% identical to human DNA. Therefore, the use of this product gives the opportunity to rejuvenate the body, increase physical and mental abilities.

Harm and dangerous properties of sea urchins

Thin and sharp needles of hedgehogs are fraught with danger to humans. Stepping on it can be quite seriously injured, since the needles usually break, leaving only small tips in the foot. And some of the hedgehogs are highly poisonous. Such species, once in the human body, cause negative impact on the nervous system, paralysis, slow down the heart and make breathing difficult.

The victim must immediately provide first aid by pulling out the elements of the needle and pedicillaria, and treating the stung area with an antiseptic solution. It is also recommended to keep the affected area as hot as possible that a person can withstand, since it is believed that the poison decomposes under thermal influence. It is advisable to take the victim to the hospital as soon as possible, where he will be under constant supervision.

But even without poison, getting a needle under the skin is fraught with unpleasant consequences. Since for the most part, the bacteria located at the ends of the needles cause suppuration of the wound.

conclusions

The sea urchin is considered an exquisite delicacy in Japan and some eastern countries. Useful and medicinal properties are due to the fact that its daily diet includes algae, which nourish its meat and caviar with an exceptional composition of minerals, vitamins and other substances necessary for the human body. Based on it, they prepare medical preparations, are used as a source of youth and beauty in cosmetology, they cook refined dishes, but most of all they like to eat it raw. In Japan, they believe that it is this use of this product that can prolong life and improve well-being. Recent studies by scientists have proven the exceptional benefits of sea urchins in the fight against cancer cells. Daily consumption of their meat or caviar can restore the body after radiation therapy or chemotherapy and remove dangerous toxins, toxins and radionuclides. There are no contraindications against eating sea urchins, except for individual intolerance or allergic reactions to fish and seafood.

Sea urchins are the inhabitants of the oceans. These representatives of the ichthyofauna can be dangerous to humans. At the same time, they are of great benefit. Read about the types of these animals, their appearance, reproduction and nutrition in this article.

Kinds

The class of these echinoderms is very numerous. Therefore, animals related to it are conditionally divided into two subclasses. The first group is regular hedgehogs, that is, those whose body shape is spherical. The body of irregular echinoderms is more like a stretched disk.

There are over 900 animal species, some of which are very common. These include:

• Black sea urchins that have long spines. This animal represents great danger for humans, as it has long needles. An interesting fact is that the beauty of a black hedgehog can quickly turn into his weapon: at any sign of danger, he directs the needles towards the irritant. That is, a shadow falling on him from any object can be regarded as an attack.
• Round sea urchin, which can also be dangerous to humans. It belongs to one of the most common types.
• Japanese sea urchin. The name makes it clear where it lives. This representative of echinoderms can attack a person if he feels the danger emanating from him.
• Slate sea urchin, which has an amazing red color. Its needles have unusual shape triangle with a blunt apex. According to one version, it got its name due to the fact that in ancient times with the help of its needles they wrote on
• Such a view as a diadem is very dangerous for a person. At the slightest sign of danger, the animal pierces the skin of the victim with fragile needles, and they break. The process of extracting them is very painful. Often this variety is found near the Turkish coasts beloved by tourists.

Description

Animals about which in question in this article, belong to such a class as echinoderms. Most often, sea urchins have a spherical body, the diameter of which is from 2 to 30 cm, along with needles. On the one hand, it is wrinkled, since the mouth opening is located there. Moreover, it is this part of their body that serves as a means of transportation, because with its help animals move along the seabed. The skeleton of these echinoderms is very well developed, it is soft only near the mouth and anus located on the back. With the help of numerous tubercles covering the surface of the body, needles are attached to it.

The sea urchin described in this article can have almost any color. Some species have the unique ability to adjust their body color to their surroundings.

Needles

Lime sticks have a cylindrical shape. They are movably attached to the body, which allows them to easily rotate in different directions. They not only protect animals, but also help them move around. Moreover, some of them have a grasping function. In this case, it is customary to call these organs pedicellariae.

I

Sea urchins can fatally poison a person. How does this happen? As soon as the animal feels that it is in danger, it closes its needle-tweezers on the body of the victim and injects poison under the skin. It is a whitish liquid.

The places that were pierced begin to itch. A person feels a strong burning sensation, his skin acquires a pronounced red tint, swelling may form. All this is accompanied by pain. IN severe cases there is a loss of sensitivity, the victim can be paralyzed. The poison released by the tweezers affects the nervous system. Under its action, breathing is disturbed, and this can be very dangerous for divers.

If you do not get out on land in time and do not help a person, he may die. Indeed, cases have been documented when a person stricken with poison did not have time to rise to the surface and died. In the best case, the pain syndrome will pass in 20 minutes. In less than a week, other signs of poisoning will also disappear. However, the paralysis effect lasts for 6 hours.

habitats

All types of sea urchins live in waters that are characterized by medium or high salinity. For example, the range of black hedgehogs is represented by expanses from Japan and China to East Africa. They can also be found near Hawaiian Islands. The round hedgehog, as well as other representatives of the echinoderm class, have a similar range. These animals are not found in low-salinity waters of the Black and Caspian Seas.

The favorite habitat of echinoderms is the seabed. They move along it with the help of ambulacral legs. These organs are long processes, at the end of which there are suckers. They allow animals to move also on vertical surfaces.

Nutrition

It's time to find out what the sea urchin eats. It all depends on which subclass of echinoderms it belongs to. Wrong hedgehogs eat plankton. But the diet of their correct relatives is more diverse. So, these predatory animals are able to hunt crustaceans and molluscs. However, they can eat algae and even carrion. Often they attack other hedgehogs, which are smaller, and also attack starfish.

reproduction

To understand how sea urchins reproduce, you need to know a few facts about them. So, these animals are dioecious, that is, among them there are both female and male individuals. Fertilization is external. This means that the male fertilizes the eggs laid by the female. It takes place in shallow water. However, those species that live in Antarctic waters are viviparous. In the body of the female there is a special brood chamber in which the eggs develop.

Reproduction in sea urchins is a fairly simple process that most often occurs outside the body of the female. However, those individuals that were born in the waters of the Antarctic leave the mother's body fully formed. After three years, their puberty begins. In total, the life expectancy of these echinoderms is from 12 to 15 years. Cases have been documented when scientists were able to find individuals whose age reached 35 years. Therefore, they are conditionally considered long-livers.

Enemies

Although sea urchins have good self-defense, they often become food for other birds, fish and mammals. For the otter, these echinoderms are a special delicacy. The animal catches a prickly ball, and then throws it several times on a hard surface and breaks the shell. Seabirds prey on hedgehogs in a similar way. So, large birds raise prey to a great height and throw off prickly food on stones. The shell is broken, and the meat of the animal is left unprotected.

Benefit

The sea urchin, whose photo is presented in this article, is very much appreciated. Firstly, caviar of such species as fawn, multi-spined and green is very popular. According to Japanese beliefs, this product is able to prolong youth and give a person longevity. Indeed, caviar contains nutrients, essential amino acids and fats. Recently, studies have been carried out, as a result of which scientists have found that the human and sea urchin genomes overlap. That is why long-living animals can save the life span of Homo sapiens. It will be most useful to eat fresh caviar that has not been heat-treated. Not everyone likes her pure form but gives an interesting taste to salads and other dishes.

Secondly, with the help of these animals, commercial fish can be caught. The fact is that during the spawning period, echinoderms gather in large groups. They attract fish and crustaceans that don't mind eating sea urchins. And the fishermen at this time catch, for example, flounder.

The sea urchin is called the porcupine of the underwater kingdom. However, not every sea urchin is strewn with prickly spines, reminiscent of those of prickly land animals - hedgehogs and porcupines. Most species, including those found in the seas surrounding Russian shores completely harmless and harmless to humans. They can be picked up without fear of hurting your finger or piercing the skin of your palm. And some sea urchins are covered with such small needles that their surface seems more velvety than prickly.

First, let's clarify what kind of animal this is?
Sea urchins ( Echinoidea) - animals of the echinoderm class. These are very ancient animals that inhabited the Earth already in the early Silurian, i.e. about 500 million years ago, like their close relatives - starfish.
Currently, more than 900 different species of sea urchins are known, united in two subclasses (correct and wrong hedgehogs), which, in turn, are represented by 4 superorders, composed of 9 orders.
Judging by the presented classification of these marine animals, a great variety of sea urchins, different in shape and structural features of the organism, live in the waters of the World Ocean.

The body of sea urchins is devoid of prominent rays, like starfish, and has an almost spherical or flat disc shape. In some hedgehogs, it is egg-shaped and even heart-shaped (this refers to a subclass of irregular hedgehogs).
The body color of sea urchins can be the most diverse - white, black, red, blue, green - we can say that in the color of the body of urchins different types All colors are present. Some species can even change body color like chameleons.
The shape of the body of sea urchins does not change, since it is enclosed in a shell (shell), made up of large chitinous plates fixed motionless to each other. Only a small area around the mouth (peristome) and around the anus (periproct) remain soft.
The mobility of the shell plates is preserved only in representatives of one of the ancient families sea ​​urchins - Echinkthuriidae.

The shell of all modern sea urchins is arranged according to the same principle.
It consists of 20 rows of plates located along the meridians of the body. If, for example, the shell is cleared of needles atlantic sea urchin (Echinus acutus), then the five-beam plan of its structure will immediately become noticeable.
In the center of the ventral side (which always faces the bottom) there is a mouth opening. The anus is located in the center of the opposite (so-called aboral) pole.

From the oral platform to the anus along the meridian there are five rows (ambulacres), made up of ambulacral plates. There can be several dozen such plates in each row, and each plate has one or more paired holes - pores through which the ambulacral legs pass. Each pair of holes (pores) corresponds to one leg.
The total number of legs in sea urchins is huge - there can be more than a thousand of them throughout the body of the animal. These are the most multi-legged animals in the world! With the help of such elastic cylindrical legs, capable of stretching and contracting, equipped with suction cups at the ends, the sea urchin can not only crawl from place to place, but also move along sheer rocks, firmly attach to the bottom substrate in the most surfy places, and get its own food. .

Each row of plates (ambulacrum) ends at the aboral pole with one small eye plate, on which a tiny eye is located.
Between the ambulacral rows of plates on the body of the hedgehog are the so-called interambuacral rows, composed of larger plates, devoid of pores for the legs. These rows end at the aboral pole with a single plate bearing the sex cell.
Thus, alternating ophthalmic and genital plates form a corolla of plates around the anus, constituting the apical field.
The mouth opening of sea urchins is covered with soft skin; most species have only 5 pairs of rounded mouth plates equipped with mouth legs. Along the edge of the oral field are external skin gills.

The mouth opening also has special organs of balance - spheridia.
In the depths of the mouth opening there is a special chewing apparatus - the Aristotelian lantern. It consists of several calcareous crossbars and plates interconnected by muscles. Home integral part of this organ are 5 paired pyramids, inside of which one long tooth is placed. The tips of these teeth protrude from the sea urchin's mouth opening.
With the help of teeth, sea urchins can scrape algae from the surface of stones, grab other food, and even move along the bottom.

On the surface of the shell of sea urchins there are numerous and differently arranged tubercles that serve to attach needles. The spines are connected to the tubercles by special articular capsules with strong muscles that allow the sea urchin to turn and rotate the spines in any direction.
The shape and length of the spines of sea urchins is different. They can be smooth, spiny, ribbed, and even with bizarre processes. Sometimes their length is several times greater than the body of a sea urchin.
Often the needles are used by hedgehogs not only as a protective device, but also for movement.
Scattered among the needles are special grasping organs - pedicellaria. They are arranged in the form of the smallest movable tweezers, sitting on the tubercles of the hedgehog's skeletal plates and attached to the plates by muscles. Pedicellaria of hedgehogs are equipped with heads, in which many hedgehogs contain poison produced by special glands of the sea urchin and supplied to the head of the pedicellaria through a channel.

The venom of sea urchins is very toxic, and even highly diluted in water, can have a detrimental effect on many marine organisms. With the help of poisonous pedicellaria, sea urchins fight enemies, such as starfish. But this is not the only purpose of pedicillaria - with their help, hedgehogs cleanse the body of various debris, capture nearby prey and pass it through the ambulacral legs into the mouth of the sea urchin.

The intestines of a sea urchin is a tube that winds in a spiral from the mouth opening through the entire body of the urchin. Sometimes along the body there is also an adnexal intestine, which is connected to the intestines at both ends.
Hedgehogs breathe with the help of skin gills located at the mouth, as well as with the help of legs and adnexal intestine.
The sensory organs and nervous system of sea urchins are primitive - five light-sensitive eyes are located at the anus, and the organs of touch are located on ambulacral legs.
So, basically, all types of sea urchins are arranged. Hedgehogs of the wrong subclass have some difference, in particular, they do not have a chewing apparatus, since their main food is plankton and detritus.

Correct hedgehogs can be called omnivores. Their diet includes a wide variety of foods - algae, sponges, organic carrion, as well as small crustaceans, molluscs, starfish and smaller classmates.

Despite a variety of protection - carapace, spines and poisonous pedicellaria, sea urchins often become prey for crabs, a number of molluscs, starfish, large fish, birds and mammals. For example, the sea otter or sea otter, which is the most sworn enemy of sea urchins, hunts them like this: it collects sea urchins in the coastal zone, takes them in its front paws and swims to the shore on its back, holding the prey in front of it. On the shore, she breaks the shells of sea urchins on rocks or hard objects and eats eggs and soft insides. Sea otters are so gorged on sea urchins that their mouths and intestines are usually stained purple with urchin pigment. Birds gather sea urchins at low tide. They throw hedgehogs from a height onto stones, breaking them and pecking out the soft parts of the body.

The vast majority of sea urchin species are dioecious. They reproduce by caviar, which is laid by females in shallow water and fertilized by the sex products of males. Sex cells in sea urchins are located next to the eye - in the anus. Hedgehogs usually reach sexual maturity by the third year of life.

There are real legends about the life expectancy of sea urchins. Some scientists believe that they are theoretically immortal. The study of the body of "old" sea urchins showed that no changes and signs of aging appear in it even in individuals over a hundred years old.
They have a stable protection against radiation, the mechanism of which has not yet been unraveled.
Their growth continues throughout life, until death. And the death of sea urchins is usually premature - microbes, predators, fishermen's nets and other "accidents". That's why average age Sea urchins, according to different biologists, range from 15 to 35 years.

Many sea urchins are the object of fishing. Dishes from caviar and milk of hedgehogs are valued in the Mediterranean countries, East Asia, New Zealand and many other countries.

Separately, about the danger of sea urchins for humans.
Many hedgehogs are armed with long and very thin spines. Stepping, through negligence, on such a hedgehog, you can seriously injure your foot. Needles, piercing human skin, usually break and leave tips in the body, which are still extremely poisonous. There is usually severe pain that can last for several hours.
The venom of some species of sea urchin is extremely toxic.
For example, (Toxopneustes pileolus), living in the seas of Southeast Asia, is armed with a poison that, once in the human body, can cause muscle paralysis due to effects on the nervous system. Difficulty breathing and activity of the heart muscle.
All this can lead to the most sad consequences for the victim. Pedicellaria also take part in the “bite”, which bite the offender with their tweezers, introducing portions of poison into his body.
Very dangerous sea ​​urchin asthenosis (Asthenosoma varium) with poisonous needle tips and pedicellaria. Its poison also causes disturbances in activity. nervous system person.

First aid to a victim of sea urchin venom consists in removing fragments of needles and pedicellaria from the skin of the victim and treating the affected area with an antiseptic.
It is also believed that the venom of sea urchins breaks down under the influence of heat. Therefore, you can lower the injured limb into hot (as far as the body can tolerate) water.
Urgently deliver the victim to a medical institution for the provision of qualified medical care.
It is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of a person affected by the poison of a sea urchin - in case of difficulty in breathing or a violation of cardiac activity, urgently perform artificial respiration and heart massage.

It should be noted that even if you step on a non-venomous sea urchin, fragments of its spines can cause you serious trouble. Bacteria that are usually found on the tips of needles cause suppuration of wounds.
Most poisonous hedgehogs live in warm seas tropics and subtropics.
The most dangerous sea urchin Toxopneustes pileolus is a rather rare animal; lives mainly on coral reefs. It looks like a cherry-red ball the size of a large apple.

TO useful properties sea ​​urchins should be attributed to their role as orderlies of the seas, the ability to absorb carbon dioxide, reducing its quantitative composition in the atmosphere, and even (according to some sources) the ability to reduce the level of radiation in places of permanent habitat.
In addition, the entrails of sea urchins are used in pharmaceuticals for the preparation of some medicinal devices.

It is also suitable for breeding exotic animals. In this article, we will talk about the features of living together with the original animal - the sea urchin, a relative of starfish, sea cucumbers and lilies. You will learn what a sea urchin looks like, what it eats, how long it lives, and what problems can arise when keeping it.

Brief description and types of exotic animal

Sea urchin- This is an animal belonging to the class of echinoderms. It has an almost spherical body, which reaches a size of 2-30 cm. The body is covered with plates that form a shell. There are needles on the shell, which can be of various lengths - from 1 mm to 30 cm.

In nature, there are 940 species of sea urchins. The body of one of them, called toxopneustes, is completely devoid of needles.

Needles are necessary for this animal for movement, eating food and protection from predators. There are species whose "thorns" contain poison.

The shell, in addition to needles, is also covered with pedicellaria and spheridia (near the mouth).

The animal's ambulacral system is designed for digging and locomotion (legs on the lower body), touch and breathing (legs located on the back), cleansing the carapace, and feeding. There are suction cups on the ambulacral legs.

The mouth or, as it is more commonly called, the “Aristotelian lantern”, is located in the center of the underside of the body, the hole for excreting waste products is in the center of the upper side.

They are varied in color. There are species that can change color like chameleons, as well as glow in the dark.

Did you know? The sea urchin has primitive eyes. Therefore, all parts of the body help him feel the light. The receptors are at the ends of its ambulacral legs.

Sea urchins are of two types:

The natural habitat of animals is ocean and sea ​​waters with normal salinity. They can be found at depths of up to seven kilometers. They feed on sea otters, lobsters, starfish, seals and birds.

Poisonous species live in the waters of three oceans: Indian, Atlantic, Pacific.

If you are seriously considering buying an exotic apartment for yourself, then you will naturally be interested in the question of how long sea urchins live. IN natural environment their life expectancy is 10-15 years. The age of centenarians reaches 35 years. How long animals can live at home will depend on the quality of aquarium care and nutrition. The age of an echinoderm can be determined by the number of growth rings on the carapace.

Sea urchins are credited with a number of beneficial actions - in particular, the conversion of carbon dioxide into calcium carbonate and the purification of water from radioactive substances.

Did you know? By the way a sea urchin behaves, you can determine the purity of the water in which it lives. If it is motionless, and its needles are in a drooping state, then the pond is dirty.

All the pros and cons of content

Do not rush to get a sea urchin for an aquarium just because you like it. Before making a purchase, weigh the pros and cons. Below you will find a list of the main advantages and disadvantages of keeping such a pet.

So, why is it worth getting a hedgehog in a marine aquarium:

• this is a beautiful and rare animal, whose behavior is interesting to observe;
• he perfectly cleans his habitat and objects nearby - having settled a hedgehog, you can be sure that where he walked with his thorns, it will always be clean.

• when caring for an aquarium, you can easily run into an animal’s needle - the injection is very painful and can lead to inflammation, and it is impossible to remove the part of the thorn remaining in the skin - you will have to wait until it comes out on its own;
• the hedgehog has a tendency to prick everything that comes in the aquarium on its needles, and an animal hung with shells, corals, stones is not always an aesthetic sight;
• they can eat sponges, corals, other animals contained in the aquarium, and thus harm its beauty;
• so that omnivorous hedgehogs do not attack their beautiful cohabitants, they will need to be fed with meat products;
• to keep the animal, you need a spacious dwelling equipped with good light;
• these echinoderms require ideal water quality.

Important! Experienced aquarists do not advise beginners and people who do not yet have sufficient experience in caring for a marine aquarium to get hedgehogs. If the desire is great, then it is necessary to seek the advice of specialists who will help to avoid undesirable consequences.

Purchase price

A sea urchin can be purchased at a pet store or online for $10-30 per juvenile. In the second case, it can be delivered to your home, like a regular product.

Choosing and arranging an aquarium

To live a sea urchin, you will need an aquarium with a volume of at least 200 liters. Some species will need a 400 liter pool. For example, in a diadem sea urchin, the spines reach a maximum length of 20 cm - thus, its total diameter will be 40 cm. Therefore, in a pool of less than 400 liters, it simply will not survive.

The smallest of the hedgehogs is the watermelon. Plus, it has short spines. Therefore, an aquarium with a volume of 130 liters may be enough for an adult.

It is important to understand that, as a rule, small hedgehogs are sold in pet stores. In the process of living in an aquarium, they grow. Therefore, before you buy a spiny invertebrate in the house, you need to find out information about its final size.

It should be understood that not all hedgehogs are suitable for reef aquariums. So, for example, a black long-needled hedgehog will pose a threat to its inhabitants. Grifelny is also better to settle in a fish aquarium.

Important! At the stage of planning the arrangement and settling of a marine aquarium, it is necessary to study to the maximum information about the requirements of sea urchins for water and an aquarium, as well as nutrition. You need to make sure that you can provide all this to the animal.

What care is needed

In aquariums, the most commonly kept black long- and short-spined hedgehog (Black-Short Echinometra Species), watermelon hedgehog (Mespilia globulus), red diadem hedgehog (Diadema setosum), echinometer (Echinometra lividus), slate (pencil) hedgehog (Pencil Urchin) .

In general, spiny invertebrates are not difficult. The main thing is to know what water parameters are necessary for the species you have chosen and whether it needs special complementary foods, or whether it is able to provide food for itself.

Behind appearance creatures will need to be watched closely. If he looks unhealthy, he has drooping spines, you need to check the water parameters and feed him with calcium.

For safety reasons, do not pick up your pet or play with it. If an injury occurs during cleaning of the aquarium, then the wound must be washed with hot water and treated with disinfectants. After the injection, redness, burning and slight swelling are possible.

What to feed

Let's see what sea urchins eat and what they can be fed at home.

The main type of food for herbivorous spiny balls is natural fresh algae. An additional menu may be lettuce, dandelion leaves. Frozen and dry food can be purchased at the pet store.

Did you know? In some countries, caviar and milk of sea urchins are a delicacy. Caviar contains 34.9% fat and 20.3% protein. And the shell is used in agriculture for fertilizer- it contains a large amount of calcium and phosphorus.

Omnivorous hedgehogs eat their cohabitants. Therefore, when trying to bite, for example, sponges or corals, crabs or shrimp, other mollusks, you will have to feed the invertebrate with meat. In the absence of other food, animals can eat carrion - dead fish and other marine life. They also encroach on the lives of their relatives.

Hedgehogs usually come out in search of food at night.

Compatibility with other inhabitants of the aquarium

Before proceeding with the equipment of the aquarium, it is necessary to study the information about which inhabitants can peacefully coexist with each other. Since often some species begin to eat others, thereby reducing the beauty and exoticism of the glass pool. As we have already noted, hedgehogs can be herbivorous and predatory. And if they are not fed enough with their favorite food, then neighboring corals and sponges will suffer.

By purchasing certain kind marine life, you need to ask about its compatibility with other invertebrates. In any case, it will be necessary to ensure that everyone has enough food.

So, the sea urchin is a beautiful and interesting animal that can live in an aquarium. But before you get it, it is important to know the conditions in which he is used to living, and the features of his behavior. On the one hand, it is an exotic and unusual representative of echinoderms, whose movement is interesting to follow. On the other hand, this sea animal is often called a “little natural disaster”, since it is famous for its love of pricking everything that comes in its way into needles, eating cohabitants and spoiling the beauty of the aquarium.

However, if the aquarist manages to create a balance between the inhabitants of the sea pool, water parameters and its design, then keeping a live prickly ball will bring only pleasure and benefit, since it will destroy all unnecessary algae.