<i>Holothuria edulis</i> (IMAGE)
Caption
Like other sea cucumbers, nocturnal "Burnt Hot Dog" sea cucumbers use their guts to help clean seafloors and coral reefs. These invertebrates take shelter during daylight hours before emerging at night to inch along the sandy seafloor in search of food. Feeding tentacles help the animal shove sand and rubble through its digestive system as it moves, absorbing nutrients from detritus (dead plant and animal matter) and expelling cleaner, oxygenated sand in its wake. Healthy marine ecosystems rely on animals that provide these types of frequent cleaning services; without them, an abundance of detritus can impact plant and animal health, which in turn decreases the health of the ecosystem as a whole.
Credit
© Keoki Stender
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