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February 7, 2021: Sea Cucumber

This sea cucumber, or holothurian, was seen “dancing” through the water column just above the sedimented seafloor during the third dive of the Windows to the Deep 2018 expedition at a site off the coast of Georgia.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Windows to the Deep 2018. Download larger version (jpg, 719 KB).

This sea cucumber, or holothurian, was seen “dancing” through the water column just above the sedimented seafloor during the third dive of the Windows to the Deep 2018 expedition at a site off the coast of Georgia. The site was dubbed "Giant Bedforms" due to features consisting of giant undulating bedforms that extend across a large region of the southern flank of Blake Ridge.

While we often see sea cucumbers on the seafloor, we also frequently see them swimming as well. Interested in learning more about why these animals are such masterful and graceful swimmers? Read this mission log, “Bentho-pelagic Holothuroids: Masters of Buoyancy.”