Sea urchin

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sea-urchin

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Class Echinoidea
2. What is the ecological role?Key grazers, influencing benthic community structure, especially in kelp forests
3. What does a sea urchin look like?Sea urchins have a round or flattened shell called a test, covered with movable spines that can be long, thick, or sharp. Some have tiny pincer‑like appendages called pedicellariae among the spines.
4. How do sea urchins move and find food?Their water vascular system powers tube feet that help them walk and stick to surfaces. The spines and tube feet also help them sense chemicals and light to find food.

Benthic: Relating to or occurring at the bottom of a body of water.
Keystone grazer: A herbivore that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.
Urchin barren: An area of the seafloor dominated by sea urchins, often with a significant reduction in macroalgae.
Aristotle's lantern: A complex, five-part jaw apparatus used by sea urchins for scraping and chewing algae and other food.