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There are 8-10 common species of sea cucumbers on this coast, at least one of which, Parastichopus californicus, is harvested commercially.
NOTE in many European countries sea cucumbers are named after the vegetable, for example: sea cucumber, concombre de mer, Seegurke, cucumeri di mare (the last of which actually means “melon of the sea”). The Romans apparently brought cucumbers (the vegetable) to Western Europe. Other names for sea cucumbers are trepang in Malaysia and bêche de mer in former French colonies in the Pacific. Body walls of sea cucumbers are common ingredients in various South-East Asian cuisines, notably soups and stir-fries. In areas of the South Pacific, the visceral masses are eaten raw, or after cooking or being pickled in lime juice. In Japan, a tasty fermented dish is made from the guts of Stichopus japonicus, following preparation of the body walls for drying and marketing as food. |
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ANIMATION of snail meeting
SEA CUCUMBER
© 2010 Thomas Carefoot |
To learn about west-coast SEA CUCUMBER: select a topic from the sea-cucumber menu at the top of the page
OR: play the ANIMATION of the snail meeting
the SEA CUCUMBER
OR, if you want to see other animations: follow the snail on its ODYSSEY by CLICKING
on any X-marked invertebrate on the map |
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Phylum Echinodermata (lit. “spiny skin” G.) including sea lilies, sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and brittle stars
Class Holothuroidea (lit. “sea cucumber” in G.) including sea cucumbers
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