August 7, 2021: Urchin
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Gulf of Mexico 2017. Download larger version (jpg, 952 KB).
Beautiful Gracilechinus gracilis urchins are typically found on hard substrates in the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Atlantic Ocean. This one was seen during the Gulf of Mexico 2017 expedition, while exploring a site on the West Florida Escarpment, within a proposed Habitat Area of Particular Concern, beginning at 410 meters (1,345 feet) and ending at 383 meters (1, 256 feet).