Another Strange Nudi - Actually a White Sea Cucumber!

[Tom Nic]

OK, this one is really weird. I don't recognize any standard nubibranch features on it, but it sure looks like a nudibranch. It was right near some purple fish eggs and appeared to be feeding on them?

Ideas?

[Sounder]

Tom - is this the one we found on the "south boat" at 3TN? That WAS weird!

[John Rawlings]

OK, this one is really weird. I don't recognize any standard nubibranch features on it, but it sure looks like a nudibranch. It was right near some purple fish eggs and appeared to be feeding on them?

Ideas?

I believe that what you have there is a white sea cucumber rather than a nudibranch. The scientific name is Eupentacta quinquesemita

Here's a link to Jon Gross' web site and a shot of a white sea cucumber that looks very similar to your photo:

http://www.jongrossphotography.com/gall ... ct=&page=5

There is another similar sea cucumber species, Eupentacta pseudoquinuesemia, that it might also be, but I can't seem to find any photos on the web when I search for it.

- John

[Tom Nic]

Thanks John! I was wondering if this was something else rather than a Nudi. Could this be a juvenile White Sea Cucumber? It was only a couple of inches long. It was also on top of the octo boat, perched on a railing above a clutch of purple fish eggs. Never saw it before and haven't seen it since. Are these Sea Cukes that mobile? Able to climb? There was also no feeding apparatus visible and the projections on the body look much longer and bunched than the ones in the pic you linked to. The ones in the pic almost appear in rows and the ones in my pic do not. Lots to learn!

Fun! Thanks everyone for the input! I love this stuff!

Yes Doug, this is the one we saw that I'm finally getting around to posting.

[John Rawlings]

Thanks John! I was wondering if this was something else rather than a Nudi. Could this be a juvenile White Sea Cucumber? It was only a couple of inches long. It was also on top of the octo boat, perched on a railing above a clutch of purple fish eggs. Never saw it before and haven't seen it since. Are these Sea Cukes that mobile? Able to climb? There was also no feeding apparatus visible and the projections on the body look much longer and bunched than the ones in the pic you linked to. The ones in the pic almost appear in rows and the ones that I saw do not. Lots to learn!

Fun! Thanks everyone for the input! I love this stuff!

Yes Doug, this is the one we saw that I'm finally getting around to posting.

I actually think that it may be the one I can't seem to find a photo of, but who knows? "Feeding apparatus" on sea cucumbers is usually only visible when they are actively feeding. The person that you REALLY need here is Janna! She could probably just glance at this and say, "of course! That's a blah-blah blinkindorf whozitwhatzis"!

Sea Cucumbers can be QUITE mobile. I have found them on top of wrecks two or three stories above the bottom.

If you ever want to have your eyes bug out, find a large actively hunting Sunflower Seastar and drop a California sea cucumber in its path. As soon as the sea cucumber senses that it is being touched by the seastar you'll get a REAL show! Those things can MOVE when they are motivated.

- John

[nwscubamom]

hehe, looks like I'm a day late and a dollar short!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence. All I thought when I saw the first pictures though was, that's a White Sea Cucumber!!!



Sea cukes CAN indeed move - they have oodles of little tube feet that allow them to do just that. Winter is a time of non-eating for them so chances of you seeing feeding appendages are slim.

I got this great book on the BC Ferry called Sea Cucumbers of British Columbia, SE Alaska and Puget Sound that spells it all out! And according to them, the two similar species that John mentioned are quite difficult to tell apart.

So suffice it to say you had an upclose and personal encounter with....a WHITE SEA CUCUMBER!! YAY!

- Janna

[John Rawlings]

I got this great book on the BC Ferry called Sea Cucumbers of British Columbia, SE Alaska and Puget Sound that spells it all out! And according to them, the two similar species that John mentioned are quite difficult to tell apart.

- Janna

Yes, that is a GREAT little book! Unfortunately, I lent mine to a "friend", who now cannot recall having borrowed it! I need a replacement copy!

- John

[Tom Nic]

Yes, this was definitely a white sea cucumber! Here's a pic of the little guy in almost the same place feeding today!