Sea Cucumber
(Holothuroidea)
Holothuroidea
Credit: Julien Bidet for MDC Seamarc
Descending towards the shallow, white, sandy bottom of Caban cove, I was struck by the concentration of cylindrical forms scattered across it. Most were a dark, greenish brown, while some were lighter - even yellowish. Each about 30 centimeters long, the vista resembled a wide sandbox full of - I cannot put is less delicately and still be completely honest - turds.
Actinopyga echinites
Credit: Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution
Of course, I knew exactly what they were. As I hovered just a few inches off of the sand I patiently watched as a prime specimen slowly inched forward on its multiple muscular "feet", hidden under the skirt of its leathery skin, depositing a swirl of excreted sand, like a kind of soft serve ice cream, as it moved forward. I have spent whole dives just watching these echinoderms - who bear strikingly little resemblance to its cousins like sea urchins and starfish - just waiting for one of them to begin moving. Behold the vacuum cleaners of the sea bottom, also known as Sea Cucumbers.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_cucumberhttps://www.britannica.com/animal/seacucumber
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearlfishhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaculture_of_sea_cucumbers
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/sea-cucumbers
Music Credits:
Day-O, Harry BelafonteDeep Underwater Relaxing Sleep Music in an Underwater Paradise, soothingrelaxation.com
Morning Garden - Acoustic Chill, Olexy, Pixabay