Just some snapshots of the empty shell or test of the Sea Potato sea urchin, also called the Heart Urchin, Echinocardium cordatum (Pennant). The top picture shows the test with the top or aboral surface showing. The picture below shows the oral or lower surface. The spines have dropped off.
For more information about Sea Potato sea urchins in Jessica’s Nature Blog click HERE.
Revision of a post first published 11 May 2010
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Jessica's Nature Blog 
‘Test.’ There’s another word from that John Fowles novel. And now I have an image to go with the word. Interesting that the sea potato has a kind of directionality to it missing in many other sea urchins. All, though, would be bilaterally symmetrical, yes?
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Interesting comment. Yes, you could find a place to slice midway through a sea urchin and the two halves of the test would look alike – although internally that would not necessarily be the case. All the sea urchins actually have pentamerous symmetry.
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They do look like an organic version of the Transformers; as if they might suddenly unroll and become something else…
*hmm*
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That’s too spooky! Unless they unrolled and became five-fingered star fish.
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Thanks for visiting my blog and liking my post! You have some great work here!
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I found several of these last week on a bitterly cold winter day, on a windswept silver sand beach on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. Thank you for helping me to identify them.
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Thank you, Margaret. I am pleased that my post was useful for you.
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