Collector urchin

In 2011, Hawaii placed 1,000 native collector urchins on a reef in Kaneohe Bay to help control an invasive seaweed called Kappaphycus, which had overrun local coral.1

Collector urchins feed heavily on seagrass between November and January, and one study found they ate up to or more than half of seagrass production in that period.1

Their name comes from the way debris collects on their bodies.1

Unlike many other sea urchins, collector urchins graze all day and all night.1

Their bright colours fade when the animal dies or is taken out of the ocean.1

They are prey for puffer fish, octopuses and humans.1