Sea Cucumber Evisceration

Sea Cucumber Evisceration

a gutsy defense

Everyone’s favorite echinoderm the sea cucumber, may seem like a defenseless blob and while that is partially true. Sea cucumbers have devised a simple means of defending themselves from being a predators cucumber salad. When approached by a would be predator the holothuroidean simply eject parts of their gut called cuvierian tubules (which aid in respiration) into the water in hopes of either scaring or distracting the predator. This process is known as evisceration. Now you might be asking how does the sea cucumber do this without dying? That’s simple, the organs that the echinoderm expels are not totally vital and the sea cucumber can grow them back within a couple weeks. And if the whole organ expelling thing doesn’t work some sea cucumbers are known to expel a toxin called holothurin which can kill any animal in its vicinity.