Red Sea Cucumber
Scientific Name: Cucumaria miniata
Category: other
Brief Description
A marine invertebrate belonging to the echinoderms, commonly found in rocky intertidal zones and subtidal areas.
Characteristics
Deep red to orange-red body color with five rows of tubefeet. It has a retractable crown of bushy, branched tentacles for filter feeding.
Habitat
Low intertidal to subtidal rocky areas, often wedged into crevices or under rocks. Found along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico.
When to Find It
Visible during low tides throughout the year, but most active for feeding when submerged.
Conservation Status
Common
Ecological Role
They are important filter feeders and detritivores, helping to recycle nutrients and clean the water column in coastal ecosystems.
Easily Confused With
California Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus californicus), which is larger with prominent soft spikes and a more brownish-mottled color.
Observation Tips
Look for them in deep crevices during extreme low tides in the Puget Sound. Do not attempt to pull them out as they anchor themselves firmly with tubefeet.
Interesting Facts
If threatened or stressed, some sea cucumbers can expel their internal organs as a defense mechanism, a process known as evisceration, and later regenerate them.
User Notes
Puget Sound