![Helmet urchins (Colobocentrotus atratus)](http://darkerview.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CK27-31-21173-DC.jpg)
Helmet Urchins
![Helmet urchins (Colobocentrotus atratus)](http://darkerview.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CK27-31-21173-DC.jpg)
When you want to see the stars, find someplace dark
They are everywhere in the tide zone, an extraordinarily common species. So common I usually forget to take a picture. A closer look shows a cool animal. The spines are modified, no sharp needles here, armor plates instead. An excellent arrangement for resisting the fury of the waves and still giving protection from would be predators.