Sea cucumber

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About Sea Cucumber
This marine animal's name comes from the fact that it has a cucumber like shape with short tentacles at one end. It’s also known as sea slug. Though it is seldom found fresh in the United States, it's sold dried in Asian markets. It must be soaked in water for at least 24 hours, during which time it doubles in size and takes on a gelatinous quality. Its texture is rather rubbery and it's therefore most often used in soups. Sea cucumbers, member of Class Holothuroidea, are cylinder-shaped invertebrate animals that live in seas worldwide. They are found in a variety of sea floor habitats, from warm tropical waters to cold deep sea trenches. These nocturnal animals have a life span of about five to ten years. The body of the sea cucumber is elongated, leathery and muscular; spines are limited with the skin. These echinoderms have no arms, but do have five-part symmetry. Five double rows of tube feet, with tiny suction cups, run along the body; they are used for crawling along the sea bed or anchoring to a rock. A sea cucumber breathes by pumping sea water in and out of an internal organ called a respiratory tree. Some sea cucumbers burrow into the sea floor. Sea cucumbers have no brain. Sea cucumbers eat decaying matter that floats in the water or is in the sand. Sea turtles, crustaceans, many fish, and people eat sea cucumbers. Sea cucumbers can expel most of their internal organs to confuse predators. Some sea cucumbers' bodies contain toxins that can deter attackers.