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Cartoon of Red Sea fire urchin
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Red Sea fire urchin

Asthenosoma marisrubri
Urchins, stars & worms๐ŸŒต Venomous spines
Danger to people: SeriousA bite or sting needs a doctor. Deaths are very rare.

Red Sea fire urchin belongs to the group: Urchins, stars & worms. It lives in: The oceans.2

Lives in
The oceans2
Length
15 cm (5.9 in)2
typical adult size
Top speed
about 0.02 km/h (0.01 mph)
Swimming, rough guess

Venom power

Venomous spines

Sharp spines carry the venom. Stepping on it or grabbing it hurts.

How dangerous is it to people?

Danger to people: SeriousA bite or sting needs a doctor. Deaths are very rare.

๐Ÿš‘ If it bites or stings

  • Put the wound in hot water, as hot as the person can stand without burning, and get medical help to remove spines. Do not dig for them yourself.

Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics

โ›‘๏ธ Stay safe

  • Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
  • Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
  • If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.

It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe

How big is it?

How long is it?

Red Sea fire urchin about 15 cm long (5.9 in)๐ŸšA grain of rice about 7 mm (0.3 in)๐Ÿ“ŽA paper clip about 3 cm (1.2 in)๐ŸŒA banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 5 toy building bricks in a rowslower than a garden snail

How big is Red Sea fire urchin compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

For venom experts

Scientific name
Asthenosoma marisrubri
Group
Urchins, stars & worms
Family
Echinothuriidae1
Order
Echinothurioida
Continents
The oceans
Danger to people
3 / 5: Serious2

Where the facts come from

  1. Asthenosoma marisrubri (iNaturalist): names and classification.
  2. Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are animal fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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More from the same group: Urchins, stars & worms

Also lives in: The oceans

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