The bright red color of a fire urchin warns predators that its spines are poisonous. Sea otters are the major predators of sea urchins.

火海胆鲜红的颜色警告捕食者它的刺有毒。海獭是海胆的主要捕食者。

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Fewer otters would have allowed sea urchin populations on which the otters preyed to expand and the urchins' grazing pressure on kelp forests to increase.

海獭的减少会使海胆的数量增加，因为海獭以此为食，从而增加海胆对海藻林的食草压力。

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Since the disappearance of sea urchins from the waters up the coast of South Florida, many coral reefs there have been smothered by the uncontrolled growth of algae.

自从海胆从南佛罗里达海岸的海水中消失后，那里有许多珊瑚礁被不受控制生长的藻类所扼杀。

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University of Tasmania scientist Scott Ling says there is evidence that they have been eating the sea urchins.

VOA: special.2009.08.25

The American state of California is another area where long-spined sea urchins have been destroying kelp forests.

VOA: special.2009.08.25

Mister Ling says the hope is that they will prevent further development of sea urchins.

VOA: special.2009.08.25

In fact, the indications are that the more mature red sea urchins are the most prolific producers of sperm and eggs, and are perfectly capable of breeding even when incredibly old.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | Red sea urchin 'almost immortal'

An examination of the unique eyes of skate (ray fish) led to advances in combating blindness, the horseshoe crab was crucial in developing a test for bacterial contamination, and sea urchins helped in the development of test-tube fertilization.

CNN: Mars can wait. Oceans can't

The auctions begin after 4am for costly boxes of sea urchins and move on to the warehouse for bluefin tuna, where the dealers walk round inspecting the huge animals with a torch in one gumboot and a handspike in the other.

ECONOMIST: Gems of the ocean