Parastichopus californicus
Sea cucumbers are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. Sea cucumbers have an endoskeleton just below the skin, calcified structures that are usually reduced to isolated microscopic ossicles joined by connective tissue.
Male and Female Sea Cucumbers reproduce through the process of spawning. They each release sperm and egg cells (gametes) into the water around them. Only a small amount of the eggs and sperm will become fertilized. There are two types of development: feeding larvae (Planktotrophy) or lavare that doesn’t feed (lecithotrophy). Some embryos and larvae attach themselves to the female. The feeding larvae start to swim for a certain amount of days (10-40) before it settles on the bottom of the ocean floor and morphing into a baby sea cucumber.
Sea cucumbers are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. Sea cucumbers have an endoskeleton just below the skin, calcified structures that are usually reduced to isolated microscopic ossicles joined by connective tissue.
Male and Female Sea Cucumbers reproduce through the process of spawning. They each release sperm and egg cells (gametes) into the water around them. Only a small amount of the eggs and sperm will become fertilized. There are two types of development: feeding larvae (Planktotrophy) or lavare that doesn’t feed (lecithotrophy). Some embryos and larvae attach themselves to the female. The feeding larvae start to swim for a certain amount of days (10-40) before it settles on the bottom of the ocean floor and morphing into a baby sea cucumber.