Wednesday, 4 February 2015

February video of the month - silky cucumber

The silky cucumber (Chiridota laevis) is a smooth, translucent animal with a pinkish or white hue.  They are are sometimes confused for worms because of their shape and size.  Unlike their larger cousin in the area, the orange-footed sea cucumber, they do not have suction cup equipped tube feet running along their bodies.

A common location students find these animals is at Indian Point during extreme low tides.  They will be found under rocks.

In the video we have used a microscope to get a better view of the tentacles surrounding the mouth of the cucumber.




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