Sea urchin

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	Image gallery
Real-world info
	Name: Echinoidea; Family: Unknown
Main appearances
	DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue; WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
	Film HHD aF PC
	Names in other languages ウニ; 海胆; Oursin; Erizo de mar; Riccio di mare; Морской еж 성게; 海膽; Oursin; Erizo de mar; Seeigel; Zee-egel

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(5) Sea star

New Horizons sea creatures

Slate pencil urchin (7)

→

New Horizons sea creatures
← (5) Sea star	→ Slate pencil urchin (7)

The sea urchin (ウニ, Uni) is a type of sea creature in the Animal Crossing series, introduced in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

While initially absent from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the sea urchin was added in the 1.3.0 Free Summer Update in July 2020, where it appears all day long as a small, slow shadow from late spring to early fall.

In August 2020, it became available as a limited-time item in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, where it is categorized as a shell rather than a sea creature.

Catch details[edit]

In New Leaf[edit]

#3

"I got a sea urchin! And I didn't poke myself, either!"

Time of year	May – Sep 15 All year (Tortimer Island)
Time of day	All day
Peak times	Jun – Aug
Shadow size	Small
Shadow movement	Stationary
Sea creature size	12 cm
Rarity	Common
Selling price	800 Bells
Furniture size

In New Horizons[edit]

In New Horizons, a sea urchin is used as an ingredient in the fish meunière dish on Turkey Day in the southern hemisphere.

#6

"I got a sea urchin! Wasn't even 'earchin for it."

Time of year	North: May – Sep South: Nov – Mar
Time of day	All day
Shadow size	Small
Shadow movement	Slow
Spawn requirement	Appears from the start of the game
Selling price	1,700 Bells
Furniture size

In Pocket Camp[edit]

Icon for the Sea Urchin in Pocket Camp

The sea urchin appears as a shell in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and was available to collect for a limited time as part of the Sandy Shellfish Goals event, from August 20 to August 23, 2020. During the event, the shell would appear on the beach at Saltwater Shores, where it could be picked up. After the event, remaining Sea Urchins can stay in the player's inventory, where they can still be sold, used for animal requests, or listed in the player's Market Box. The sell price for this shell is 500 Bells. For villager requests, it is part of rarity tier 1, which earns the player 100 Bells and 2 Friendship Points if the shell is used to fulfill a request.

Donating to the museum[edit]

In New Leaf[edit]

Upon donating a sea urchin to the museum, it can be found in the large pool in the first room of the Sea exhibit, along with many other species of sea creature. It is found in the part of the pool closer to the entrance to the saltwater exhibit. The exhibit has this to say about the sea urchin:

"Sea urchins are a close relative of both starfish and sea cucumbers and are assumed to be stationary. In actuality, they are capable of walking thanks to their many skinny legs they have between their spikes. They feed on seaweed on the ocean floor using their strong mouths located on their undersides. They are rich in nutrients but also have a lot of cholesterol, so take care not to eat too much."

In New Horizons[edit]

When donating to the museum, Blathers will say the following:

"Ah, the sea urchin...the unabashed goth of the ocean floor! Indeed, with its mane of dark-hued spikes, it looks for all the world as if it might front a punk-rock band. Perhaps its more demure relatives—the sea cucumber and the sea star—disapprove of its outlandish look? 'Twould certainly explain why sea stars gobble up sea urchins every chance they get! But worry not for our spiky friend. Its venomous spines are an effective deterrent to many a predator. And then there are its sticky "tube feet," which it uses to maneuver out of harm's way. TUBE feet, I say! What will this salty rebel think of next?"

The sea urchin can then be found in the icy tank in the back, alongside the sea butterfly.

Fishing Tourney[edit]

In New Leaf[edit]

During a Fishing Tourney, when given a sea urchin, Chip will not score the sea creature but will say the following:

"When it comes to sea urchins, you can use 'em for sashimi or sushi, but whatever you do, keep 'em raw! Me, I like them fresh out of the water! Just watch for the spines, and you're good as gravy! YUM!"

Gallery[edit]

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information[edit]

A real-life sea urchin

Urchins typically range in size from 3 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in), although the largest species can reach up to 36 cm (14 in). They have a rigid, usually spherical body bearing moveable spines, which gives the class the name Echinoidea (from the Greek ekhinos, spine). The name "urchin" is an old word for hedgehog, which sea urchins resemble; they have archaically been called sea hedgehogs. The name is derived from Old French herichun, from Latin ericius, hedgehog.

Like other echinoderms, sea urchin early larvae have bilateral symmetry, but they develop five-fold symmetry as they mature. This is most apparent in the "regular" sea urchins, which have roughly spherical bodies with five equally sized parts radiating out from their central axes. The mouth is at the base of the animal; the lower surface is described as "oral" and the upper surface as "aboral".
More information on this topic is available at Wikipedia.

Names in other languages[edit]

	ウニ uni	Sea urchin

	성게 seong-ge	Sea urchin

	海胆 hǎidǎn	Sea urchin

	海膽 Unknown

	Морской еж Morskoy yezh	Sea urchin, lit. "sea hedgehog"

	Zee-egel	Sea urchin, lit. "sea hedgehog"

	Seeigel	Sea urchin, lit. "sea hedgehog"

	Erizo de mar	Sea urchin, lit. "sea hedgehog"

	Oursin	Sea urchin. Likely derived from "ours" (bear) and "hérisson" (hedgehog).

	Riccio di mare	Sea urchin, lit. "sea hedgehog"