sea cucumber
Benthic vegetable-shaped echinoderm
A sea cucumber is a soft-bodied marine animal related to starfish and sea urchins, with an elongated cylindrical shape resembling a cucumber.
They live on the ocean floor and are harvested as a delicacy in East Asian cuisines: dried sea cucumber is prized in Chinese cooking.
Despite the name, they're animals, not plants.
Hydraulic locomotion appendages
- radial symmetryArrangement around central axis
- ossiclesMinute skeletal structures
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
- benthicOf the sea bottom
Removing internal organs
- toxinsHarmful biological substances
- saponinsFoaming plant glycosides
- expulsionForced permanent removal
- chemical defenseToxic means of protection
sticky threads · antipredator · camouflage · cryptic behavior · entanglement · survival strategy
Ocean's solid base
- benthicOf the sea bottom
- coral reefCalcium carbonate marine ecosystem
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- detritivoreEats dead organic material
tropical · Indo-Pacific · subtidal · sand · silt · marine · ocean floor · seagrass
Stretched beyond usual dimensions
- cylindricalCircular in cross-section
- tubularHaving cylinder form
- leatheryResembling animal hide
- soft-bodiedLacking internal skeleton
wormlike · papillae · spicules · flexible · slug-like · bilateral · anterior · posterior
Thinly sliced raw fish
- delicacyRefined sensitivity or rarity
- umamiFifth taste sensation
- brinyStrongly of salt
- seafoodMarine creatures as cuisine
stir-fry · braised · dried · rehydrated · banquet · soup · Cantonese · abalone
Growing back again
- tissue regenerationBiological self-repair of damage
- visceraAbdominal organs collectively
- healingRestoration of health
- stem cellsUndifferentiated cells with regenerative potential
morphogenesis · transdifferentiation · renewal · plasticity · wound repair · growth factors · biomimicry · cell division
tube feet
Hydraulic locomotion appendages
- radial symmetryArrangement around central axis
- ossiclesMinute skeletal structures
- invertebrateAnimal sans backbone
benthic · starfish · brittle star · sand dollar · papillae
evisceration
Removing internal organs
- toxinsHarmful biological substances
- saponinsFoaming plant glycosides
- expulsionForced permanent removal
sticky threads · chemical defense · antipredator · camouflage · cryptic behavior · entanglement · survival strategy
seafloor
Ocean's solid base
- benthicOf the sea bottom
- coral reefCalcium carbonate marine ecosystem
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
detritivore · tropical · Indo-Pacific · subtidal · sand · silt · marine · ocean floor · seagrass · lagoon
elongated
Stretched beyond usual dimensions
- cylindricalCircular in cross-section
- tubularHaving cylinder form
- leatheryResembling animal hide
soft-bodied · wormlike · papillae · spicules · flexible · slug-like · bilateral · anterior · posterior · dorsal
sashimi
Thinly sliced raw fish
seafood · stir-fry · braised · dried · rehydrated · banquet · soup · Cantonese · abalone · texture
regrowth
Growing back again
- tissue regenerationBiological self-repair of damage
- visceraAbdominal organs collectively
- healingRestoration of health
stem cells · morphogenesis · transdifferentiation · renewal · plasticity · wound repair · growth factors · biomimicry · cell division · restoration
- echinodermsechinoderm, sea star, brittle star, sand dollar, starfish
- sea cucumberstiger tail, sandfish, blackfish, tigerfish, snakefish
- animalscat, dog, bird, fish, cow
- marine lifeshark, sea turtles, manatees, whale, dolphins
- ocean lifeocean, sea, sea creatures, shark, sea life
- sea lifeshark, whale, dolphin, salmon, jellyfish
sea cucumberoctopus
Eight-limbed sea mollusk
nautilus · cuttlefish · squid · Portuguese man-of-war · lionfish
cucumber, cucumbers, undersea, sea urchin, sea anemone, sea cucumbers