It may one day be possible to create a pill for humans that increases the growth of spines.
The vivid purple spines of this sea urchin from God's Pocket Marine Provincial Park, British Columbia, help it move along the seafloor, as do hydraulically operated tube feet.
In fact, speculation abounds about what purpose the spines serve.
very large closely branched South African shrub having forked bright green spines and shiny leaves.
The spines of a fire urchin form a multicolored flower off Komodo Island, Indonesia. The blue swellings on the tip of each spine are filled with venom.
Sea urchins brandish their spines on the seafloor near the Channel Islands. Scientists recently discovered that the eyeless invertebrates "see" by detecting light with their spines.
The raised bumps on the white grain represent the sites of insertion for the sea urchin's spines.
Sea urchins are perhaps best known for their armor of spines. But their mouths may be even more daunting-urchin teeth can literally chew through stone without getting dull.
Researcher Shinji Tsukahara says the decrease in spines may have been caused by a number of factors, including hormonal changes triggered by the presence of a female.
A sea urchin's long, moveable spines protect it from predators in the waters off Hawaii.
The bright red color of a fire urchin warns predators that its spines are poisonous.
The sand around him was strewn with fossil shark teeth, sea urchin spines, and the bones of giant catfish.
The bright red color of a fire urchin warns predators that its spines are poisonous. Sea otters are the major predators of sea urchins.
The exotic looking lionfish, a favorite of aquarium owners, is a species of multi-colored, striped fish, also known as the Fire Fish because of its venomous spines.
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