Photo: Ed Bierman from CA, usa · Image source ·CC BY 2.0.jpg){kind=link}
Animal profile · Other aquatic life · sea cucumber
California sea cucumber
Apostichopus californicus
The California sea cucumber is a large, soft-bodied echinoderm of the northeastern Pacific. It feeds on seafloor material and helps recycle nutrients in rocky and sandy habitats.
Not a fish · an aquatic neighborWater
Saltwater
Rocky bottoms, soft sediments, kelp forests, and subtidal coastal habitats.
Temperature
Range not established
A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not established from the reviewed sources.
Size
Up to about 50 cm (20 in) long
About as long as a baseball bat is wide.
Lifespan
Not established in the wild
Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.
01 · Signature adaptation
What does it do?
It crawls slowly over rocks and soft bottoms, often in kelp or near structure. When threatened, it can contract its body and use sticky or defensive tissues.
02 · Home coordinates
Where does it live?
Northeastern Pacific from Alaska through British Columbia and along the Pacific coast to California.
Regions: Alaska · British Columbia · Pacific Northwest · California
03 · The menu
What does it eat?
It uses branched oral tentacles to gather food-bearing sediment and particles from the bottom.
Deposit feeder: detritus, organic sediment, microalgae, planktonic particles.
04 · Remember this
Two wow facts
Bottom recycler
By eating sediment and releasing processed material, it helps move nutrients through coastal ecosystems.
Sources [1]
Stretchy body
Its soft body can change shape substantially as it moves and feeds.
Sources [1]