This is not a hyper-exotic seashell, but a mundane part of one of the most common (and irritating) echinoderms, the sea urchin. Often called Aristotle's lantern, this set of calcium-rich jaws lie inside the animal's shell and help it scrape algae off the rocks. I think this one is from a Paracentrotus lividus, but I'm not 100 percent sure.
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
Aristotle's Lantern
This is not a hyper-exotic seashell, but a mundane part of one of the most common (and irritating) echinoderms, the sea urchin. Often called Aristotle's lantern, this set of calcium-rich jaws lie inside the animal's shell and help it scrape algae off the rocks. I think this one is from a Paracentrotus lividus, but I'm not 100 percent sure.
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