Physical Features

• Most sea cucumbers have long bodies, but unlike the vegetable in which they share a name, their bodies are slug-like. Their mouth is on one end of their body and an anus is on the opposite end. Generally, all sea cucumbers have rows of tube-shaped feet running the length of their bodies and tentacles coming from their mouths. They use their tube feet and tentacles for movement and feeding purposes.
  
  

Habitat

• Sea cucumbers live in oceans all around the world. They may live in shallow areas such as near coral reefs and sea grasses or at the bottom of deep ocean waters. Species that live on the sea floor may bury themselves under sand and other substrate.
  
  

Niche

• Sea cucumbers eat algae, small marine animals and detritus (dead animal and plant material). They are like the earthworm decomposers of the marine environment as they recycle waste material and return nutrients to the sea floor. According to Earlham College, sea cucumbers reprocess 90 percent of the ocean's biotic matter.
  
  Other members of the sea community, particularly fish and larger animals, in turn eat sea cucumbers.
  
  

Human Consumption

• In various parts of the world, sea cucumbers are considered delicacies. In some cases, they are valued for their medicinal and aphrodisiac properties. Globally, they are not endangered, but there have been certain periods where sea cucumber populations have been vulnerable on regional scales. There have been instances of over fishing in East and Southeast Asia, South America, Russia and the West Coast of the U.S.
  
  

Interesting Behavior

• When sea cucumbers sense the presence of a predator, they often eject their own internal organs through their anus in order to divert the larger animal. This is feasible, since the cucumbers are able to generate replacement organs.