Sea urchins live in oceans all around the world, no matter than temperature of the water.
Sea urchins use their spikes to survive. If something gets too close to a sea urchin, it’s spike will move toward the intruder to poke it. Further, it would be really hard for a different sea creature to eat a sea urchin because it‘s covered in spikes! That doesn’t stop humans though. Chefs have perfected the art of cracking sea urchins open to reach the meat inside their shells. Sea urchins are a delicacy here in Croatia.
Sea urchins are prey to a few types of creatures: eels, birds, crabs, otters and humans. Humans can harm sea urchins not only by eating them, but also by polluting their environment. In Croatia, I saw sea urchins that had bottle caps stuck in their spikes. Without the ability to use their spikes, they lose their natural protection. We should be worried about sea urchins capacity to protect themselves. Currently, sea urchins are not endangered but we should always be careful not to disturb their natural ecosystems (the biological communities where creatures like sea urchins make their homes).
