Our Plastic Sea Cucumber
Our sea cucumber is made of hard plastic and measures 2 1/4 inches from nose to tail. This plastic sea-floor creature is great for school projects, toys, novelties, animal collections, party favors and more. Our plastic sea cucumber is for decoration or play only. It does not float, and should NOT be put in your aquarium. However, you can make a superb sea-life or aquarium shoebox diorama using this and other plastic aquatic creatures and mammals, sharks, fish, sea turtles, birds, and decor from our gift shop. Best of all, there is no mess, no feeding, and no tank cleaning :) Be sure to look over our other miscellaneous aquatic toys and gifts.
About Sea Cucumbers
Sea cucumbers are from the phylum echinodermata—like starfish and sea urchins, but are classed as Holothuroidea. These animals are scavengers who primarily live in the benthic zone, namely on or along the bottom in deep or shallow water and feed on plankton and decaying matter. There are some 1,250 known species, and many of these animals are shaped like soft-bodied cucumbers.
Sea cucumbers feed on tiny particles flowing by, or by digging in the sediment by using 8 to 30 tube feet that look like tentacles surrounding their mouths. The animals break down these particles into even smaller pieces, which become fodder for bacteria, and thus recycle them back into the ocean ecosystem.
They have an amazing ability to squeeze through the narrowest crevices for safety by liquifying the structure of their body and then reattaching the fibers to make themselves firm again. In addition some sea cucumbers extract sticky tubules out of their anus that are toxic to enemies. These body parts are then quickly regenerated.
Sea cucumbers, particularly eggs and young larvae, are prey for fish and other marine animals. They are also enjoyed by humans, especially in Asia. Some varieties of sea cucumber known as gamat in Malaysia or trepang in Indonesia are reported to have excellent healing properties. Extracts are made into oil, cream or cosmetics. The effectiveness of sea cucumber extract has been the touted since it contains many of the important fatty acids necessary to play an active role in tissue repair.
