The Sea cucumber reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Sea cucumber

The sea cucumber is an echinoderm of the class Holothuroidea, with an elongated body and leathery skin. Mostly found on the sea bottom. It is so named because of its cucumber-like shape.

Sea cucumbers are generally scevengers, feeding on debris in the benthic layer. They have the peculiar adaptation of eviscerating (or expelling) their internal organs when startled by a potential predator. These organs can then be regrown.

Sea cucumbers reproduce by brodcasting sperm and eggs into the ocean water. Depending on conditions, one organism can produce thousands of gametes.

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