Heart Urchin

Moira atropos

• Group: Urchin
• Typical depth: 0–445 m

A heart shaped urchin that lives buried in soft seabed rather than crawling over it, this species packs into mud fields inside lagoons. Short dense spines push it through the sediment, and tube feet reach up to keep a breathing channel open to the water above.

Taxonomy: Animalia › Echinodermata › Echinoidea › Spatangoida › Schizasteridae › Moira

Species data via the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), AphiaID 158067.