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September 10, 2021: Sea Urchins

This herd of sea urchins was observed feeding on a downdrift of shallow-water plant material at a depth of 325 meters (1,066 feet) during a dive to explore Kingman Reef within the Palmyra Atoll Unit of the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument as part of the Discovering the Deep: Mountains in the Deep: Exploring the Central Pacific Basin expedition.

Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, Mountains in the Deep: Exploring the Central Pacific Basin. Download larger version (jpg, 1.3 MB).

Did you know that a group of sea urchins is commonly referred to as a “herd”? This herd was observed feeding on a downdrift of shallow-water plant material at a depth of 325 meters (1,066 feet) during a dive to explore Kingman Reef within the Palmyra Atoll Unit of the Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument as part of the Mountains in the Deep: Exploring the Central Pacific Basin expedition.