Description:
This
sea cucumber clings to rocks and the reef with its powerful
suction cup tentacles. You can see these 8 inch
sea cucumbers roaming around the intertidal easily because
of their hard skin and brown and white spots.
Habitat:
The
Actinopyga Mauritiana moves freely exposed in tidepools,
roaming around on the rocks and reef.
Range
(include invasive, native, endemic): This
is a native species that lives at ranges from 1 to 20 feet.
Trophic
information: Humans
are its only predators known to seek and eat these, but
Pearl fishes live in the intestines of these sea cucumbers.
Sea cucumbers are peaceful and live recycling the waste
from other fish.
Safety:
none,
but don't step on them or you will slip, or squish a perfectly
good sea cucumber.
Comments:
This
is a very interesting sea cucumber because of its five toothed
anus that is used as a defense mechanism agains pearl fishes.