Genus species

Holothuridae

Common name

Black Sea Cucumber

Hawaiian name

Loli Okuhi Kuki

click to enlarge

Photographer's name
Location, date

Holothuria atra
Description Habitat Trophic Info
Safety Comments Links to Resources

Description: A common large sea cucumber that covers itself with a fine layer of sand.  It has black tentacles that can be used to grab food acting as nets to give itslef food.  Has a rough body at first but as it releases the water it sucked in to cling to rocks. It may squeeze out its intestines for protection against harm done to it.  The intestines are toxic.

Habitat: Its mostly found in the open on sand or rubble mostly clenged to rocks hardly moving at all.  Its found sometimes in small ponds in the intertidal.
Range (include invasive, native, endemic): The black sea cucumber is Native and found in the shallow depths to about a 100 feet of water.

Trophic information: It eats dead flowing matter that drifts along the washing waves.  It is edible but not raw.  I also has no predators but shares itself with other sea cucumbers.

Safety: For the black sea cucumber its very firm in the beginnning when you first take it out of the water but after the water is leaked out from the sea cucmber then it becomes jelly like and may squeeze out the intestines that are toxic.
Comments: Some sea urchins are poisonous, the ones that have pokey spines and some of them have pokey spines.
Links to Resources: N/A
 
 
     
Email: web@intertidalhawaii.org
Intertidal Hawaii Home | Education Laboratory School
Website design and production by Blu Forman All rights reserved © 2004