Helmet Urchin

Range: Indo-Pacific region, including the Hawaiian Islands

My personal favorite urchin, the helmet urchin doesn't have traditional spines like most of its urchin counterparts. Instead, its uniquely modified 'spines' are more reminiscent of shingles. This unusual adaptation, along with impressive suctioning abilities up to over twice as strong as other urchins, makes the helmet urchin incredibly well suited to life on the rocky shores of intertidal zones (Santos). In fact, their aerodynamic shape and strong suction is so effective that these urchins are commonly found completely exposed in the most extreme of wave-swept intertidal zone conditions, effectively using the harsh habitat as a natural deterrent against potential predators and competition with other intertidal organisms. This urchin is also culturally significant, used locally for food, fish bait, and medicine (Titcomb).

https://themolokaidispatch.com/the-historical-importance-of-haukeuke-sea-urchins/