Slate Pencil Urchin

The slate pencil urchin shows off its amazing array of pattern when you get a close look. The bright red blunt tipped spines are easy to spot out on the reef, although usually snorkeling are too busy looking for the sharp, poisonous black spiny sea urchins to care to stop too long for a detailed look at one of these less dangerous species.

The real charm in these urchins comes with the back story of their name. When the urchin dies the spines lose their color, turn white, and sometimes wash up on shore. Early missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands utilized these by drawing marks on a slate board just like chalk on a blackboard. This is the method they used to teach writing to new students.