What Is a Sea Cucumber?

Sea cucumbers are marine invertebrates that live on the seafloor. They ‘re named for their unusual oblong condition that resembles a fat cucumber. Although people occasionally eat sea cucumbers, these chubby, worm-like sea creatures are n’t related to their namesake fruit ( and they would n’t make a very appetizing salad topping if you were expecting a crunchy, refreshing pungency ). There are about 1,250 species of sea cucumber, all of which belong to the taxonomic class Holothuroidea. This classify falls under the Echinodermata phylum, which besides includes many other long-familiar nautical invertebrates, such as sea stars, sea urchins and sand dollars, according to National Geographic.

Sea cucumbers range in size from about three-quarters of an edge ( 1.9 centimeters ) to more than 6 feet hanker ( 1.8 meters ) and live throughout the global ‘s oceans, from nearshore shallow waters to the ocean ‘s deep trenches, according to the National Wildlife Federation. No matter the depth, their independent mansion is on the ocean deck, often partially buried in sand. Related: 7 Bizarre Facts About the Ocean Sea cucumbers, like all other echinoderms, exhibit radial symmetry, according to the University of California, Berkeley ‘s Museum of Paleontology ( UCMP ). But rather of having five arms arranged in a circle like ocean stars or backbone dollars, sea cucumbers have five rows of bantam feet that run lengthwise down their bodies, from mouth to anus. Their tubular feet serve chiefly to anchor the limbless creatures to the seafloor, according to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ( WHOI ). Sea cucumbers move across the seafloor by changing the urine pressure in their feet ; they increase the sum of water in their feet to stretch them out and release the water to contract them .

What do sea cucumbers eat? 

As the creatures slowly meander about, they use the extra 20 to 30 little tube feet around their mouths to shovel everything in, including sandpaper. They feed primarily on bantam pieces of alga and marine creatures, which get broken down into smaller and smaller pieces, like to how earthworm break down organic count in gardens, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) .The sand that the ocean cucumbers ingest passes straightaway through their system and comes out the other end in the form of a flaxen dope log. Related: Watch This Giant Sea Cucumber Expel a Spiraling Poop Log Along with the sandpaper, sea cucumbers excrete byproducts that benefit ocean ecosystems, peculiarly coral reefs. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research found that sea cucumbers ‘ natural digestion work gives their consume products a relatively high ( or basic ) ph, which means the water surrounding sea cucumber habitats is reasonably protected from ocean acidification. Sea cucumbers besides excrete calcium carbonate, which is a primary ingredient in coral formation, and ammonia, which acts as a fertilizer and promotes coral emergence .

Anatomy and reproduction 

Sea cucumbers have a relatively simple inner anatomy, consisting of three chief sections : digestive, respiratory and generative, according to the book “ Marine Benthic Fauna of Chilean Patagonia “ ( Nature in Focus, 2010 ). Although sea cucumbers do n’t have bones, many species of the animal have a vestigial skeleton made of microscopic plates of calcium carbonate that lie loosely disperse underneath the hide, according to UCMP. Some species can align their bony plates when threatened thus that their bodies become rigid, according to the University of Alaska Southeast. The digestive tract consists of a long intestine coiled between the mouth and the anus that ‘s approximately two to three times the distance of the sea cucumber. occasionally, if disturbed or stressed, ocean cucumbers will expel their entire digestive organization, but they can grow a substitute in just a few weeks, according to WHOI. effigy 1 of 6 amberjack ocean cucumber ( Thelenota anax ). ( prototype credit : Shutterstock ) double 2 of 6 California ocean cucumber ( Parastichopus californicus ). ( image credit : Shutterstock ) prototype 3 of 6

Tubercle ocean cucumber ( Stichopus sp. ) ( image credit : Shutterstock ) image 4 of 6 Graeffe ‘s ocean cucumber ( Pearsonothuria graeffei ). ( trope credit : Shutterstock ) image 5 of 6 A bright loss sea cucumber ( Holothuria sp. ). ( image credit : Shutterstock ) persona 6 of 6 elephant boxfish ocean cucumber ( Holothuria fuscopunctata ). ( image accredit : Shutterstock ) A ocean cucumber ‘s respiratory system is made up of two respiratory trees on either side of the digestive nerve pathway, according to the University of Alaska Southeast. Water flows into the body through the base of the two y-shaped trees at the anus, and oxygen is transferred across a thin membrane into the consistency pit. Most species of sea cucumbers reproduce sexually via external fertilization, according to National Geographic. This means that the males release their sperm into the water and females release their eggs into the water, and hopefully a few egg and sperm run into each other. The animals must release hundreds of thousands of sperm and egg cells to increase the chances of fertilization occur. The sea cucumber larva drift with the currents until they grow large enough to latch onto the ocean floor. Scientists have identified at least 16 species of sea cucumber that can besides reproduce asexually, by splitting in two, according to a 2017 article published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. Each half of the split sea cucumber regenerates the organs it ‘s missing and basically becomes a ringer of the original animal .

People eat lots of sea cucumbers

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN ) categorizes a few species of ocean cucumber ( such as the brown sea cucumber, Isostichopus fuscus ) as vulnerable or endangered. But most species are considered a species of least refer, or there are not enough data to make an accurate judgment of the species ‘ population. With the exception of some populations in temperate waters in the Northern Hemisphere, sea cucumbers are heavily fished, according to a 2010 composition from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO ). Most of the animals that are harvested are exported to asian markets, where sea cucumbers are considered a delicacy. In some areas, such as Papua New Guinea, overfishing of sea cucumbers has wholly decimated the local population, Cool Green Science reported. much of the ocean cucumber trade occurs on the blacken marketplace, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Related: Men Fined $ 1 Million for Trafficking $ 17 Million Worth of Squishy Sea Cucumbers The FAO has released guidelines for the sustainable harvest of ocean cucumbers around the global. These guidelines have become laws in some countries, but many places do n’t have the resources to enforce the regulations. As scientists continue to learn more about sea cucumbers, the FAO has revised its guidelines consequently. Additional resources:

• Have you seen a sea cucumber recently? Figure out which species of sea cucumber you encountered with the Marine Species Identification Portal. 
• Learn more about sea cucumbers in this video from the XL Catlin Seaview Survey.
• Watch another weird and rare video of sea cucumbers swimming, from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. 

reference : http://heyreviewfood.com
Category : CHINESE FOOD