Sea cucumber from Turks & Caicos Ids

July 29, 2005
From: Martin Banford


I wonder if you would be so good as to help me identify this little chap. Spotted him yesterday wandering up the side of a coral head very much in the manner of how a caterpillar moves, so he was compressing and streching from 4cms to about 6cms. It is not too obvious from the first photo, but there are a mass of little legs underneath him.

Locality: Sandbore Channel, Turks & Caicos Islands. Tropical West Atlantic. Depth: 13 m. Length: 4 cm - 6 cm. 24th July 2005. Coral head. Photographer: Martin Banford

Thanks very much.
Martin Banford

caicosbeachbum@hotmail.com

Banford, M., 2005 (Jul 29) Sea cucumber from Turks & Caicos Ids. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14425

Dear Martin,
This is a sea cucumber or holothurian. They are echinoderms, closely related tp starfish and sea urchins. Like all echinoderms they use their tube feet for 'walking' - as well as other things I mention on the Fact Sheet. Your animal is possibly a juvenile of something that grows to 30 cms or more.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Jul 29). Comment on Sea cucumber from Turks & Caicos Ids by Martin Banford. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/14425

Factsheet

Sea cucumbers

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