Toxic leather sea urchins (Asthenosoma marisrubri: 20 cms.) are found in the Indo-Pacific region. It was not until 1998 that the species was classified as distinct, the work in that respect having been carried out in the northern Red Sea - hence the specific 'marisrubri'. As with all regular sea urchins, it has a pentagonal structure, which is clearly visible in the photograph. The animal's armour plating is covered in spines, each of which carries a sack of a powerful toxin. Stings can be excruciatingly painful! It lives on coral reefs, feeding mainly on algae and detritus. Egyptian Red Sea.

---

Size: 4413px × 3426px
Location: Near Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
Photo credit: © Terence Dormer / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: adventure, asthenosoma, classified, coral, creation, dangerous, echinoderm, egypt, fire, leather, life, marine, marisrubri, natural, painful, pentagonal, red, reef, sea, selection, spines, stings, structure, toxic, trd5143, underwater, urchin