Sea Cucumbers

Sea cucumbers are soft, squishy animals that live on the ocean floor. They are shaped like thick cucumbers, which is how they got their name. Sea cucumbers are found in oceans all around the world. They play an important role in keeping the ocean floor clean.

Ocean Floor Cleaners

Sea cucumbers eat tiny bits of food, dead plants, and algae from the sand and mud. They are like vacuum cleaners of the ocean floor. As they digest food, they recycle nutrients back into the water. This helps keep the ocean ecosystem healthy.

Strange Defenses

Sea cucumbers have some of the weirdest defense tricks in nature. Some can shoot sticky threads from their body to tangle up predators. Others can actually push out some of their internal organs to confuse attackers. They can regrow these body parts later.

Fun Facts

• Some sea cucumbers can shoot sticky threads out of their body to trap predators.
• Sea cucumbers breathe through their back end.
• There are about 1,700 species of sea cucumbers in the world's oceans.

Did You Know?

Sea cucumbers can actually liquify their bodies! They can make their bodies softer to squeeze through tight spaces and then firm up again on the other side.