Sea cucumbers are the seemingly uncharismatic cousins of the sea star within the phylum Echinodermata — radially symmetrical, hydraulically powered ancient invertebrates. Description Sea cucumbers are part of a larger animal group called echinoderms, which also contains starfish and sea urchins. Their body shape is similar to a cucumber , but they have small tentacle-like tube feet that are used for locomotion and feeding. One way that sea cucumbers can confuse or harm predators is by propelling their own toxic internal organs from their bodies in the direction of an attacker. The organs grow back, and it may save them from being eaten. Depending on the ... Sea cucumbers are ancient animals that populate the seafloor. While some resemble their fruit namesake, there is an incredible variety of species. A Sea Cucumber is an oblong sea creature in the Holothuroidea class. Researchers recognize at least 1,700 different species. They place all of the various species in the taxonomic phylum Echinodermata. This means that their closest relatives include starfish and sea urchins. Read on to learn about the Sea Cucumber .
