WHATSTHATFISH
Sea stars & urchins

Tigertail Sea Cucumber

Holothuria hilla

Also known as: Light-spotted Sea Cucumber, Lollyfish, Sand Sea Cucumber, Sand-sifting Sea Cucumber, Tiger Tail, Tiger Tail Cucumber

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2013
Adult
@JarJar · Ste Anne NP, Seychelles · January 20171 / 5
01

Overview

Found singly, during the day in crevices and holes, over rubble, sand and seagrass beds, at night out foraging for food, over inner reef flats.
They feed nocturnally on detritus and plankton.

Some sea cucumbers crawl around on the bottom slowly filtering sand through their tentacles to gather food, while others spread their tentacles above them to capture plankton. A number of sea cucumbers feed nocturnally while others feed by day.
There are sea cucumbers that hardly move while others are more active often perching on tall sponges to feed.
Sea cucumbers often attract hitch-hikers like shrimps and crabs that crawl over their skin, also pearlfish that enter via their anus.
As a means of defence sea cucumbers can expel their intestines or respiratory organs in the form of sticky threads, but these can quickly regenerate.
Juveniles often mimic sea slugs.
Some types of sea cucumbers are edible and considered a delicacy in the Far East countries.

02

How to identify

COLOURS
Body shape
spikes

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Indo-Pacific
  • Country only · 5
LIVES IN

Found singly, during the day in crevices and holes, over rubble, sand and seagrass beds, at night out foraging for food, over inner reef flats.

04

Adult photos 5

05

Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumEchinodermata
    3. classHolothuroidea
    4. orderHolothuriida
    5. familyHolothuriidae
    6. genusHolothuria
    7. speciesHolothuria hilla Lesson, 1830

    SourcesWoRMSIUCN Red List

    06

    More in the family

    Sea Cucumbers (Holothuriidae)