Diadema antillarum has a "shell," similar to most other sea urchins. What distinguishes the Diadema is the length of … See more

This species usually lives at 1–10 metres in depth on coral reefs. They will often lodge themselves in a crevice, so that only their spines can be seen, but individual urchins who can't find a suitable crevice will live in more expo… See more

Diadema antillarum is still, in some tropical areas, one of the most abundant, widespread, and ecologically important shallow-water sea urchins. It is found in the tropical Western Atlantic Ocean, including the … See more

In 1983, throughout the Caribbean faunal zone as far south as South America and north to the Bahamas, Diadema antillarum underwent mass mortality, with more than 97% of the urchins dying. Since this time some … See more

When the sea urchins died due to an unknown disease, the biodiversity of the marine life of the coral reefs suffered a great deal. The resulting lush algae growth stunted and even reversed the developme… See more