Violet sea urchin

Sphaerechinus granularis is a species of echinoderm with a round shape. The shell is purple in color with short and dense spines with white tips. It is fivefold symmetrical and the mouth opening is located on the lower side of the body. Using small teeth in the oral cavity, they scrape the seabed, feeding on algae and organic detritus. Between the spines there are water-veined legs with which it moves. It is more active at night. It reproduces sexually, in spring and summer, by external fertilization with male and female gametes. Newly formed planktonic larvae float for months in the water column until they sink to the bottom, to which they attach themselves with aquatic legs. The violet sea urchin is prone to camouflage, so it often puts on itself pieces of algae, remains of shells, pieces of plastic and pebbles.