Characteristics of sea cucumber
The whole body of sea cucumber is cylindrical, with a length of10 ~ 20 cm, and there are also some extremely large sea cucumbers that can reach 30 cm. Generally, its color is dark and it is covered with meat thorns. The sea cucumber mouth is at the front end, mostly on the ventral side. The anus is at the back end, mostly on the back. There are generally wart feet on the back and tube feet on the abdomen. The endoskeleton degenerated into tiny bone fragments. Many kinds of sea cucumbers have five rows of tube feet from mouth to anus. Anal foramen is also responsible for breathing and discharging waste. There are 10 or more retractable tentacles around the mouth, which are used for predation or burrowing.
There is a certain emphasis on the living environment of sea cucumber. Generally speaking, it often lives in the seabed with a depth of 2 ~ 40m, and generally adapts to the water temperature of 0℃ ~ 28℃, salinity of 28 ‰ ~ 31‰, and sleeps in summer when the water temperature is higher than 20℃. The feed is mainly animal and plant debris and benthic diatoms in the sediment, and the breeding period is from June to July, as long as the above conditions are met.
In addition, sea cucumber has the special function of releasing internal organs from anus. In order to protect itself, it will lure other creatures to eat their internal organs and then take the opportunity to escape. It will not be long before it will regenerate new internal organs. Many sea cucumbers can release toxins that are fatal to small animals, but after investigation, they are not life-threatening.
Distribution of sea cucumber
As for the distribution of sea cucumbers, it can be said that they are widely distributed in many sea areas of China. There are more than 30 species in the South China Sea of China alone, among which Xisha Islands are the majority. In temperate sea areas, the main producing areas of sea cucumbers are Shandong Peninsula and Liaodong Peninsula.
Sea cucumbers are common in tropical and subtropical seas, and there are many species inhabiting coral reefs in India-Western Pacific. Some are naked, some are hidden, some are drilled in the sand, and some species are only found in coral reefs. Feeding is very regular.
Specific functions of sea cucumber
Some people have done experiments: use needle and thread or iron wire to penetrate the flesh of sea cucumber and tie a knot. After a period of time, the sea cucumber will magically excrete foreign bodies, but the body will not leave any traces.
Besides, the sea cucumber can predict the weather, and when it comes to storm warning, it will hide in the crevices in advance. Experienced fishermen often use this phenomenon to predict the situation of storms at sea.
sea cucumber