Hands on Tauranga offers students stimulating and original learning opportunities with real museum objects that support the New Zealand curriculum at primary and secondary school level.
A collection of four New Zealand Kina or Sea Urchins. Circular green shell with hole in centre top and bottom. One shell is covered with spines. The other three have had spines removed to reveal smooth bumps.
Kina is a type of sea urchin and traditional Māori food endemic to New Zealand.
Kina are a member of the Echinoderm family of marine animals which feature hard and/or spiny skin and inherent symmetry. One of 70 different species of sea urchin found in NZ waters, kina reside in rocky seafloor areas of coastline in shallow depths — usually around 10 to 15 meters. Recognised for their hedgehog-like appearance, kina contain a fleshy orange-yellow edible roe which is removed and sold commercially in pottles. At the end of its life, a kina will lose its spikes, leaving behind a beautiful green globe-like shell.
"Kina are the grazers of our rocky shores, mostly feeding on brown algae. They have tiny tube feet which help them to hold on to rocks like mini suction cups. They 'pick up' pieces of algae, shells and stones to help them hide- a behaviour known as 'hatting'.
Kina numbers are increasing in areas where kina have less predators, mainly due to the overfishing of large crafyfish and snapper. In unbalanced ecosystems, kina can eat so much seaweed, until there is none left. Areas with out kelp are called kina barrens."
Read more and download a kina fact sheet with the above information and more here > https://seaweek.org.nz/creature-content/kina
Read more about kina here > https://chathamislandfood.com/blogs/island-news/kina-nz
maximum dimension: 100mm
subject area: Science, Biology, Art, Social Science
specific themes: New Zealand, Sea Creatures, Kai Moana
handling collection number: HC116
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