Sea Cucumbers

Scleractinia

Photographed at 20 m depth. To feed, this sea cucumber sequentially places one arm with it's sticky tentacles and entrapped planktonic material within the mouth, licks off the food, extends the arm, and then repeats the process.

Males and females spawn synchronously in the Spring as they extend their bodies from the rocks. The eggs are toxic to fish.

This sea cucumber appears to be detritus-feeding in the coral rubble.

red sea cucumber

red sea cucumber

sea cucumber

While feeding, this sea cucumber sequentially folds up its tentacles and thrusts an arm into the mouth to lick off entrapped plankton.

Scleractinia

Porifera

The red alga Maripelta rotata living on a yellow sponge. At rear is a California sea cucumber, Parastichopus californicus