On rocky beaches on Crete, you might very well encounter sea urchins (Echinoidea) —round shells covered in black spikes. They are typically 3 to 10 centimeters (1 to 4 inches) in size, and they move by walking, using their many flexible tube feet and assisted by the spines that push their bodies along. They eat algae, sea cucumbers, and slow-moving animals such as mussels and sponges, and they themselves are eaten by fish, starfish, crabs, and other marine mammals. Watch where you walk in shallow water, but if you do end up with one of the sea urchin’s spines in your foot or leg, you want to fully remove it promptly, either by going to a doctor or getting special tweezers and ointment at a pharmacy.
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