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March 17, 2021: Sea Cucumber

With its magnificent “sail” structure, this sea cucumber, identified as belonging to the genus Psychropotes, was spotted while exploring a previously unexplored seamount, tentatively called

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 American Samoa. Download larger version (jpg, 2.1 MB).

With its magnificent “sail” structure, this sea cucumber, identified as belonging to the genus Psychropotes, was spotted while exploring a previously unexplored seamount, tentatively called "Utu," located in the northern region of the American Samoa Exclusive Economic Zone. Most sea cucumbers, or holothurians, are deposit feeders, meaning they process sediment through their digestive systems to gather energy from organic material and microorganisms in the sediment.