May 21, 2021
Did you know that sea urchins in the wild wear shells, rocks, leaves, and algae as hats? It’s theorized that they use the hats to help weigh them down and to protect them from predators. They might even help protect the urchins from UV rays and help camouflage them.
In aquariums apparently urchins kept taking parts of the exhibit to use as hats - including items like baby corals. To help keep the exhibits intact, staff started printing small 3D hats for urchins. These hats were not only functional - but made aquarium urchins so much more fashionable than their wild friends.
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