The melon sea urchin (Echinus melo) is a large, globular sea urchin that can grow up to 17 cm in diameter. Its test (skeleton) is typically pinkish, yellowish or greenish-yellow, often with banding, and it is covered in short spines that are greenish-yellow with a whitish tip. It inhabits rocky areas in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans from around 25 meters deep to several hundred metres, with a common depth of about 40 metres.