Information on the Spiny Sea Cucumber

A spiny sea cucumber or Holothuroidea is a type of invertebrate organism related to starfish. Rather than being one specific organism, the spiny sea cucumber is a class, of which there are many species.

Appearance

Spiny sea cucumbers typically have long worm-like bodies with spines or small spikes protruding from their bodies that range from very small and hardly noticeable to very pronounced. Their colors vary, but are typically black, brown or dark green.

Types

Approximately 1,100 species of the spiny sea cucumber exist, according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Common varieties include black, sand, the light-spotted, the donkey dung, the tiger tail and teated sea cucumbers.

Geography

Spiny sea cucumbers live in the coastal waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans as well as in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.

Size

The smallest varieties of sea cucumber average lengths of around 3 cm, while the largest may reach lengths of 1 m, explains the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. The largest spiny sea cucumbers have the potential to be up to 24 cm in diameter.

Behavior

Spiny sea cucumbers trap food like phytoplankton and other particles on their spikes, then pass the food into their mouths. Sea cucumbers reproduce through fertilizing eggs.

References

• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Holothruroidea
• Berkeley University: Holothruroidea
• WetMedia: Sea Cukes