Echinus esculentus Linnaeus, 1758
European edible sea urchin
photo by FAO

Family:  Echinidae ()
Max. size:  17.6 cm WD (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 8 years
Environment:  benthic; marine; depth range 0 - 100 m
Distribution:  Northeast Atlantic: From Svalbard, UK and the Faeroes, east to the North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat to Finnmark, Norway, north to Greenland and Iceland and south to Portugal. Temperate to polar.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  It is found on the upper subtidal, and intertidally on low spring tides from depths of 0 to 100 meters. They graze and feed on a variety of plant and animal material (Ref. 96312).
IUCN Red List Status: (LR/nt); Date assessed: 01 August 1996 Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

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