Sealife guideThe Strongylocentrotidae familyThe taxonomy of marine species
Explore the taxonomy of marine echinoderms with a dedicated focus on starfish and sea urchins !
The class Echinoidea, commonly known as sea urchins, are marine animals characterized by a spherical or slightly flattened body, often protected by rigid spines. These animals, usually small in size, move slowly along the seafloor using tube feet and their internal skeleton is made up of fused calcareous plates.

Red sea urchin
(Mesocentrotus franciscanus)
(Mesocentrotus franciscanus)
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Tuesday, July 8th 2025
The big skate
The big skate is one of the largest species of its genus and one of the most distinctive skates along the northeastern Pacific coast. This bottom-dwelling species is easily recognized by two large, dark eyespots on its dorsal surface that resemble prominent eyes.

Monday, May 5th 2025
The California spiny lobster
The California spiny lobster has an elongated body and a hard exoskeleton, usually brown in color with yellow or orange patterns. The California spiny lobster inhabits the temperate waters along the eastern coast of the Pacific Ocean, particularly those of California and the Gulf of California.

Monday, April 14th 2025
The bigeye trevally
The bigeye trevally has a silver-colored body with, as its name suggests, larger eyes compared to other trevally species. It is distinguished from other trevally species by the slightly yellowish color of its tail.
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Mérou géant
(Epinephelus itajara)
(Epinephelus itajara)