Sea Cucumber

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Thereare over 1,200 known species of Sea Cucumber, invertebrate echinodermsof the class Holothroidea. All species are ocean-dwellers, living inwaters throughout the world, including the frigid waters near the Northand South Pole. They come in a variety of sizes and colors, with thelargest (the appropriately named Giant Sea Cucumber) measuring up to several feet in length. Because of their soft bodies, Sea Cucumbers have not fossilized well, but we do have examples dating back around 400 million years to the Silurian.

SeaCucumbers are scavengers, feeding off of plankton and debris thatfloats through the water. They draw meals in using tentacle-likeappendages around their mouth, and then digest and expel the waste backinto the water, where it becomes food for bacteria. Most Sea Cucumberspecies have very tiny tube-like feet that help them to move slowly.

One of the most interesting (and probably disgusting) habits of Sea Cucumbers is their ability to ward offthreats. Many species will dispel their internal organs out of theiranus, distracting the predators and making themselves smaller. They arethen able to regrow those organs. Sea Cucumbers also have an anadditional tactic up their proverbial sleeves. They can shoot out asticky mucus that ensnares attackers.

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SeaCucumbers reproduce both sexually and asexually, depending on thespecies. Sexual reproduction happens externally, with the sperm and eggintermingling in open water.

Some species of Sea Cucumber are harvested as delicacies in a fishing process known as Trepanging.