About 1,786 species of soft, leathery, cucumber-shaped echinoderms living on the sea floor worldwide. They recycle nutrients by eating detritus. On the deep sea floor they often make up most of the animal life, and many species are harvested as a delicacy, especially in Asian cuisine.
Quick answers
What is it?Echinoderm
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?Yes
A delicacy in Asian cuisines, sold as trepang, namako or bêche-de-mer; some species are farmed.
At a glance
Found inOceans
HabitatOpen ocean
ColoursBrown, Black, Orange
SizeSmall
LengthMostly 10–30 cm; from 3 mm to 3 m
LegsNone
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for5–10 years
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Sea floors worldwide, with most species in the Asia–Pacific region.
- What it eats
- Detritus and other organic matter on the sea floor.
Did you know
Ejects its own internal organs at attackers and grows a new set.
Deeper than 8,900 m, sea cucumbers make up 90% of the mass of large animal life.
They breathe by drawing water in through the anus into branching “respiratory trees”.
Often confused with
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