Elongate Heart Urchin
Lovenia elongata
Also known as: Biscuit Urchin, Heart Urchin, Sand Dollar, Sea Biscuit, Sea Hedgehog, Sea Potato
- Biscuit Urchin
- Heart Urchin
- Sand Dollar
- Sea Biscuit
- Sea Hedgehog
- Sea Potato
Overview
Found singly or in vast numbers, often half buried, or totally buried, over mud and sandy bottoms, of coral and rocky reefs.
They feed on micro organisms in the sand.
Sea Urchins use tubed feet to get around, often in large impenetrable masses for protection.
Sometimes they hitch a lift on the back of crabs.
They have well developed jaws for grinding their prey.
Their anus is on top in most sea urchins, except the heart urchins where it is at the rear.
Predators of sea urchins are triggerfish and large wrasses, who nibble away at their spines before turning them over to eat the fleshy undersides.
Sea Urchins are highly venomous and can piece through a wet-suit.
Some are sensitive to light and have the ability to shoot venom loaded spines at a short distance.
To be avoided.
How to identify
- Behaviour
- buries in sandloose groupssolitary
Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.
Habitat & where to find it
- Range · Indo-West Pacific
- Country only · 2
Found singly or in vast numbers, often half buried, or totally buried, over mud and sandy bottoms, of coral and rocky reefs.
Adult photos 2
Discussion
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Deep dive
Taxonomy
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumEchinodermata
- classEchinoidea
- orderSpatangoida
- familyLoveniidae
- genusLovenia
- speciesLovenia elongata (Gray, 1845)
SourcesWoRMS