ipl-logo

Why Sea Cucumbers Are Echinoderm Animals

823 Words4 Pages

Sea cucumber
Introduction: Sea cucumbers are echinoderm animals that belong to the class Holothuroidea. These marine animals are characterized by their leathery skin and an elongated body. They are more than 1250 classified species of sea cucumber that can be found in oceans throughout the world. Usually sea cucumbers live on the sea floor. All sea cucumbers are ocean dwellers, though some inhabit the shallows intertidal zones while others live in the deep ocean of 5,000 m and more. Most sea cucumber species live between 5 and 10 years in the wild.
Description: Sea cucumbers are named because of their resemblance to the vegetable cucumber. They have leathery skin and soft bodies, even though like all echinoderms, sea cucumbers have an …show more content…

Most species have five rows of paired tentacles on the surface of the body that are used for locomotion and for feeding. Depending on species, their sizes are usually range from 10 – 30 cm long.
It is of interest to know that the wall of sea cucumber bodies is formed by collagen. This allows them to make their body loose or tight allowing the animal to squeeze and get in and out of small crevices and cracks. This remarkable feature keeps animals away of predators. Afterwards, the sea cucumber will hook up all its collagen fibers to make its body firm …show more content…

Threats: Increased exploitation of sea cucumber populations represents major threats to sea cucumber; several cases can confirm that such as the significant decline of sea cucumber in the Red Sea which took place over a limited period of time. Predators are also threating sea cucumber.

Self-defense: Animals have different self defense mechanisms against predation. Sea cucumber may propel their own toxic internal organs from their anus in the direction of predator’s attack. Some of sea cucumber species are able to emit sticky threads when threatened to ensnare their enemies. Also, when sea cucumber is disturbed, they can expose skeletal, hook-like structures that would make them harder for predators to eat.
As described above, sea cucumber can liquefy their body when they need to in order to get away from predators and get into narrow cracks and concaves.
Despite various threats imposed on sea cucumbers, they are still numerous in the wild and hence are not considered endangered

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Consider The Lobster By David Wallace

    1239 Words  | 5 Pages

    The article “Consider the Lobster” by David Wallace was first published in August 2004 and it has led to a lot of public controversies based on the morality and ethicality, surrounding the massive cooking of the lobster. There have been a lot of debates also from the vegetarians and the animal rights activists concerning the great lobster festival held at the Penobscot festival every late July. One thing we ought to understand is that the lobster is a summer food, and most people would want to have it freshly caught from the sea. In addition, it is a festival that is performed once a year, and therefore it gives them some time to reproduce. However, the central issue raised concerning this festival is based on the fact that some people feel that the festival is completely against the animal rights, and especially inflicts pain to the lobsters.

    Read More

  • Hawaiian Day Octopus Essay

    824 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Hawaiian Day Octopus is part of the mollusk family, and are closely related to squid, cuttlefish, and the Nautilus. They don’t have shells, but compensate with their extremely intelligent and ability to adjust color immediately to match their surroundings. When they are startled or leave a certain area, they release an ink cloud. The objective of this ink cloud is to distract possible predators, (*kind of like in Mario Kart when your screen gets inked). They can also squeeze themselves into tiny cracks.

    Read More

  • Sea Lampreys Research Paper

    1248 Words  | 5 Pages

    Originally found in the Atlantic Ocean, the sea lampreys where first discovered in Lake Michigan in 1936. The sea lampreys can be described as jawless parasites with mouths similar to suction disks. They also have very sharp teeth which they us to attach themselves to fish in the water, allowing them to feed on their blood and body fluid for various hours or even weeks. This usually causes visible injures to the bigger fishes and kill smaller fishes. These sea lampreys contribute to the decline in the population of white fish in the great lakes.

    Read More

  • Stickleback Fish Research Paper

    532 Words  | 3 Pages

    An interesting feature of this lake is that it contains no large mouth predators of the fish. Normally, the spines of the fish keep them protected from these predators, but here in Bear Paw Lake, the spines actually decrease the fitness of the fish because the dragonfly larvae living at the lake bottom prey on the fish by grabbing them by their spines. Due to natural selection, eventually the fish in the lake population lost their spines on the undersides of their bodies.1 The fish that had low fitness due to their spines were killed and unable to produce offspring while those without spines or maybe with reduced spines lived long enough to

    Read More

  • Bottlenose Dolphin Adaptation

    351 Words  | 2 Pages

    They are also covered in dense blubber. This blubber helps them stay warm in cold sea levels. There are two adaptations that these dolphins have made to help their need for energy. Dense

    Read More

  • Asian Carp In The Great Lakes

    1453 Words  | 6 Pages

    Silver Carp are notorious for jumping out of the water when disturbed. According to the Asian Carp Fact Sheet “Additionally, silver carp pose a direct threat to human health due to their propensity to leap high out of the water when disturbed by vibrations like those commonly caused by recreational watercraft. Boaters can and have been injured when hit by leaping fish weighing up to 40 pounds” (np). Like stated above, carp are extremely dominant. Many of the native fish are unable to compete with them, which could eventually lead to their extinction.

    Read More

  • Lobster In Maine

    1307 Words  | 6 Pages

    Like all crustaceans, lobsters molt their exoskeleton every year or two. They do this by splitting their carapace, the central section of their

    Read More

  • Human Impacts On Kelp Forest

    364 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Rockfish come in more than 100 species and many different shapes, sizes and color patterns.” Typically, radiant! Few other organisms live here too.

    Read More

  • Sea Lamprey: Aquatic Life In The Great Lakes

    304 Words  | 2 Pages

    Firstly, they will kill fish which is quite in opposition of attraction for tourists. Also, as they get food, they force beloved species to decline into near extinction such as the trout. A third example is that when a sea lamprey kills its prey, they take away that fish from commercial use. Sea Lamprey has no sustenance for marine

    Read More

  • Yeti Crab Adaptations

    972 Words  | 4 Pages

    These three amphibious creatures live in various habitats. The Giant Squid prefers to live as far as three football fields under the ocean surface, “500 to 1,000 meters below” to be exact (Database). Its habitat consists of “continental shelves

    Read More

  • Essay On Asian Carp

    665 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Asian carp are an invasive species because they are killing off many native species by either destroying their habitats or eating a large amount of food. Their population spreads very quickly, which makes it hard to stop or control them. Carp that are filter-feeder often compete with fish such as bigmouth buffalo and paddlefish, by taking away some of their food sources. They can also affect human lives; they have been known to jump up to 10 feet out of the water and even break bones.

    Read More

  • Essay On Sponges

    841 Words  | 4 Pages

    The life span of sponges varies significantly depending primarily on

    Read More

  • Essay On Marine Biology

    799 Words  | 4 Pages

    Marine organisms are animals, plants, and other living things that live in the ocean. A Marine biologist is a scientist who studies marine organisms and studies the bodies, behavior, and the history of marine organisms. They also study how marine organisms interact with each other and their environment. I have chosen to research about Marine biology because I would like to learn about sea life, the ocean, and its surrounding environment. To start off, a Marine biologist might study coral, crabs, fish, microscopic marine organisms, sea stars, seaweed, squid, or whales.

    Read More

  • Essay On Centipedes

    1678 Words  | 7 Pages

    Centipedes have a system of breathing, they breath with tubes ranges from the spiracles throughout the body. They have the extrudable external gills between most of their legs which enlarge breathing surface of the animal like in other animals living in water. Centipedes appear smooth and shiny. Centipedes have hairs all over the body which are sensitive to touch and vibrations, this hair helps them to sense their environments. Reproduction and life cycle of the

    Read More

  • Essay On Coral Reefs

    1577 Words  | 7 Pages

    They are very unique in many different ways and a crucial support for human life. They play also a very important role in the marine life such as giving shelter and food for millions of species including fishes, crabs, or shrimps. They support 33% of marine fish species. They also have specific and certain conditions to be formed, and to survive. They are also known as the “rainforest of the oceans” because of its huge diversity.

    Read More

More about Why Sea Cucumbers Are Echinoderm Animals

Open Document