These spiny or slimy ocean creatures display an astonishing diversity of appearances, behaviors and lifestyles—and many are ...

Predators of sea cucumbers include fish, crabs and turtles. They are also enjoyed as food by people in parts of Asia, especially China, where they are considered a delicacy. This species is known by ...

The missing body parts are quickly regenerated—an ability which makes them an interesting model animal in regenerative medicine. Some deep-sea species of cucumber are even able to use a forceful ...

He says he hopes that, in the future, his work can help in devising ways to derive these compounds from plants and yeasts without grinding up sea cucumbers, which are endangered in some parts of the ...

Others . . . they get a bit hungry. They’ll start feeding on various parts of the sea cucumber, including the gonads, which isn’t as bad as it sounds. Once the gonads are gone it can grow new ...

Welsford’s words hint at what officials hope the sea cucumber becomes: a gelatinous spokesmonster for a campaign to protect parts of the Southern Ocean from the nets and lines of deep-sea fishermen.

In both instances, they neatly regenerate the discarded body parts. And when the sea cucumber Chiridota laevis senses a bite or tear, it pinches off the injured body part within 30 seconds.