Скачать или смотреть The armored sea cucumber grips the deep seafloor and rarely lets go

Deep beneath the ocean’s surface, this homebody holds tight to the rocky seafloor. While most other sea cucumbers meander across the seafloor, the armored sea cucumber (Psolus squamatus) is a sedentary species.

A flat underside acts like a suction cup, gripping the bottom and rarely letting go. Psolus cannot outrun predators. Instead, tough, hardened scales cover their body, serving as protective armor. A low profile and muted color help too—with their tentacles tucked in, Psolus looks like a rock to a crab that walks past.

The armored sea cucumber unfurls long, finely branched tentacles covered in sticky mucus to collect tiny plankton and bits of organic material in the water column. A mouth in the center of those tentacles slurps up each tentacle’s catch.

Sometimes, we see fields of armored sea cucumbers covering the rocky walls of Monterey Canyon and the slopes of neighboring seamounts, where strong currents provide a feast. In fact, up to 20 percent of all animals observed on some seamounts are Psolus.

Learn more about this and other fascinating animals of the deep: https://www.mbari.org/animal/armored-...


Script writer: Larissa Lemon
Science Advisor: Larissa Lemon
Editor: Ted Blanco
Narrator: Cassy Burrier
Motion Graphics: Madeline Go
Production team: Cassy Burrier, Larissa Lemon, Lila Luthy, Raúl Nava, Marike Pinsonneault, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun
Music: "Veil of Maya" by Giuseppe Rizzo