Sea cucumbers are related to sea urchins and starfish. They typically rest on the ocean floor and are not very active, similar to plants. However, in the deep sea, sea cucumbers exhibit different behaviors.
Resembling the twirling skirts of flamenco dancers, the Spanish Dancers are transparent ruby-red creatures that gracefully swim and float with the ocean currents in the deep sea, wearing their webbed cloaks. Also known as the “Remarkable Dreamer” (Enypniastes excimia).
They also have a more grotesque alias: the headless chicken monster. It looks like a plucked chicken carcass tossed into the sea and can grow up to 25cm (9 inches) long. The part that resembles a neck after decapitation is actually its mouth, surrounded by feeding tentacles. When it settles on the ocean floor, it uses its tentacles to scoop sediment into its mouth.
Like other sea cucumbers, they feed on marine snow, which is a shower of organic debris sinking from the ocean surface. It includes dead plankton and their feces bound together by a sticky microbial glue.
This swimming sea cucumber was discovered in the 1870s by scientists on a Royal Navy battleship during the famous ocean expedition known as the Challenger. They inhabit all oceans, including near Antarctica, at depths ranging from 500 meters (1,600 feet) to at least 6,000 meters (about 19,600 feet).
Due to their high water content, they are fragile, and collecting specimens often damages them. To observe them live, scientists rely on remote-controlled deep-diving robots with video cameras to get a clear picture of their appearance this century.
Thanks to their hydrated bodies, they have neutral buoyancy, enabling them to swim without much effort. This is a vital survival strategy in the deep sea where food is scarce.
Through their see-through bodies, you can see their coiled digestive tract filled with pale sediment. Before propelling into the water column, they expel their cleaned sediment waste, similar to dropping ballast sandbags from a hot air balloon.
By mixing and aerating the ocean floor, they contribute to the ecosystem like earthworms do on land. They can also illuminate their bodies, which helps them navigate in the dark.
When threatened, their skin glows and flakes off, acting as a warning signal to predators. Lab studies showed that they can quickly regenerate their skin and retain their glowing ability.
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