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Sea Urchins! Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

LaFavorite Cacher: This was a fun puzzle, near and dear to my heart. But it's time to move on.

Happy Caching!

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Hidden : 7/2/2020
Difficulty:
3.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


The posted coordinates are false, but I am sure you already knew that! 

sea urchin is a ball-shaped echinoderm with long, pointy, and moveable spines all over its body. Sea urchins usually live on ocean seabeds and warm waters. They are also known as sea hedgehogs. Not all species of sea urchins are poisonous, but those that are can be deadly.

Physical Characteristics

  • Sea urchins do not have a recognizable face, but they have an identifiable mouth and anus.
  • They exhibit radial symmetry: they have five sections in equal size.
  • Sea urchins can be many colors, including black, brown, right pink, dark purple, green, and sand colored.
  • A sea urchin’s shell is called a test or a shell.
  • Their shells are made of rigid, bony plates.
  • Their shells serve as protection for their soft inner body parts.
  • They have long and pointy spines all over their body.
  • Some species have spines that are soft and poisonous.
  • Their spines are typically 1 to 2 mm thick and 1 to 3 cm long.
  • Scattered on their spines are claw-like structures called pedicellaria (plural: pedicellariae).
  • Pedicellariae have three uses: gathering food, defending themselves against predators, and keeping their body clean.
  • They have five rows of paired tube feet that act as legs to push themselves across the ocean floor and also as suction to attach themselves to rocks or similar surfaces.
  • A sea urchin’s mouth is dubbed “Aristotle’s Lantern” and is located at their underside.
  • They see using light-sensitive cells in their tube feet (similar to tentacles) that are all over the body. 
  • In a sea urchin’s mouth, there are five rigid teeth made of calcium carbonate and another structure acting as a tongue.
  • A sea urchin does not have a brain.
  • They have a water-vascular system that acts as their circulatory system by running water through their body.

Source:  <a href="https://kidskonnect.com/animals/sea-urchin/>

This puzzle doesn’t really have anything to do with these colorful critters - I just love looking at them! HOWEVER, the murals near the hide of this cache are also colorful and I love looking at them, too. Please take a photo of one or both of the murals and, just for fun, post them on social media with the hashtag #seaurchins! Many thanks to the local business for its many contributions to the community as well as the beautification of this area. 

Now for the solve: 

1, 4

1, 4, 5

2, 4, 5

1

2, 4

1, 2

1, 2, 4

2, 4, 5

1, 2, 5

1, 4, 5

2, 4, 5

1, 2

1, 2, 4

2, 4

1, 5

NOTE: This cache has been placed with the express permission of the business owner. Please be respectful of the property as you walk through to the cache. 

**DO NOT APPROACH THIS CACHE FROM I-85.**

Congratulations to GeoMonkeyTiger! for FTF!!! 

 

 

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Frn hepuvaf jvyy abg frr n pyhr gb gur chmmyr urer naq arvgure jvyy lbh! Ohg gur pnpur vf na nzzb obk uvqqra nybat gur srapr yvar.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)