Red Sea Urchins Discovered to Be One of Earth's Oldest AnimalsTue Nov 4 16:53:28 2003 Pacific Time
CORVALLIS, Ore., Nov. 4 (AScribe Newswire) -- A new study has concluded that the red sea urchin, a small spiny invertebrate that lives in shallow coastal waters, is among the longest living animals on Earth - they can live to be 100 years old, and some may reach 200 years or more in good health with few signs of age.
... in the 1970s a commercial fishery developed in the U.S. based on sea urchins, which were sold primarily to Japan where their sex organs were considered a delicacy. They brought high prices, and at one point in the 1990s were one of the most valuable marine resources in California.
