Appearance and lifestyle:
Red-chested Sea cucumbers (Hemiocnus insolens) belong to the same scientific group as starfish (Echinodermata), although they are no longer star-shaped. Instead they have long sausage-like bodies with soft leathery skins.
This creature’s mouth is at one end, surrounded by sticky tentacles which it uses to either gather food off the seabed. If threatened, the sea cucumber can eject part or all of its gut, which it can later regenerate. Some species of sea cucumbers’ gut is extremely toxic and could kill an entire aquarium of fish. Sea cucumbers are eaten as a delicacy in some parts of the world. They are dried in the sun before being consumed – apparently, they have a delicate flavour and are very nutritious.
Habitat:
Red-chested sea cucumbers are found along the South African coast, and they live in great numbers on shallow reefs. According to Two Oceans: A Guide to the Marine Life of Southern Africa (Struik Nature, 2010), the “young are brooded in pockets in the skin and can often be seen clinging to the surface of the parent”.
Diet:
They are filter feeders that feed on organic particles and plankton.
Threats:
Pollution, climate change, habitat loss etc.