Echinoderm · sea urchin

Antarctic sea urchin

Sterechinus neumayeri

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic A single ocean

Depth

From the shore down to about 400 to 500 m

Size

Up to 7 cm in diameter

Diet

Mud and debris from the bottom, small crustaceans, algae, worms, sometimes seal droppings

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• It takes about 40 years to reach its maximum size of 7 cm.
• Its skeleton keeps one growth mark per year, like the rings of a tree.
• It lives only around Antarctica, where it is very abundant near the coasts.
• Antarctic sea stars team up to eat it.

Verified sources

1. Brey et al. 1995, croissance de Sterechinus neumayeri, Marine Biology (AWI)
2. Brockington, Peck & Tyler 2007, Marine Ecology Progress Series (BAS / NERC)
3. SeaLifeBase : Sterechinus neumayeri

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Abyssal Antarctic dragonfishBathydraco scotiae Emerald rockcodTrematomus bernacchii Turquet’s octopusPareledone turqueti Antarctic feather starPromachocrinus kerguelensis and related species Antarctic slope shrimpNematocarcinus lanceopes Pioneer tubewormTevnia jerichonana