What is a sea cucumber?
Sea cucumber is an echinoderm in the Holothuridea class, which can be found in all oceans of the world at depths from the inter -zone to the bottom of the ocean trenches. There are more than 1,000 Holothurian species, although they all have long bodies in the shape of a cucumber that gives animals their common name. Like other echinoderms, sea cucumbers depict the five -sided radial symmetry along the length of their bodies. Somewhat bizarre ocean creatures are also valued in some Asian culinary traditions. The animals usually rest on the bottom of the ocean and filter food from the water that flows around them. Their dark, knocks bodies strongly resemble cucumbers, although some exotic species give their animal nature with warts in colors such as orange and blue. They eat plankton and other organic material, either by feeding the filter or a hint with the sediment on the bottom of the ocean with flexible tentacles that surround their mouth.
Like other ocean animals, they filter oxygen from seawater for breathing. In this case, the device begins to extract oxygen - called the respiratory tree - at the base of the rectum and leads along the body of the animal. The cucumber receives a small amount of water through the rectum and Cloaca and then the waste eliminates the waste back. The simple respiratory and digestive system of the animal suggests that it has existed for millions of years, and there are fossilized examples to support this hypothesis from the Silurian period, 400 million years ago.
Some species in this class have a sleeve trick when self -defense is needed. With a slight amount of stress, water will spray from both ends. However, with extreme stress, the animal is restgited by its stomach and escape in the following chaos. The stomach will be again in a relatively short period of time. Other echinoderms are also able to force their stomachs inside, usually to feed, but the stomach usually pulls back into the body.
In Asian cuisine, the sea cucumber appears both fresh and dried and commonly withE is used in soups and steames. The taste is bland and the texture is rubber and slightly gelatin. The animal is also used in some traditional drugs and Western pharmaceutical societies have begun to study it to see if it contains useful properties. Some species seem to have anticoagulant, anti -inflammatory and antimicrobial compounds that can be applicable to medical treatment.