Sea Cucumber

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This is a picture of a sea cucumber I saw when snorkelling at Mgarr ix-Xini, Gozo. This strange looking creature intrigued me as I had never seen anything like it. It belongs to the group Echinodermata which are often found on sandy sea beds.
Sea cucumbers are sausage like creatures, around 30 to 40 cm long, with bumps or spines on their leathery skin. They feed on tiny creatures, plankton and algae. They are harmless but when they feel threatened they contract and shoot out water. They can also secrete a very sticky substance which acts like glue and if it gets on your skin it’s almost impossible to remove. Sometimes, in defence, they even shoot out their internal organs and then grow them back again. Sea cucumbers are considered as a delicacy in Chinese cuisine and some even believe they are aphrodiasiacs.