Burrowing sea cucumber facts for kids

The burrowing sea cucumber (scientific name: Taeniogyrus dunedinensis) is a small, worm-like sea creature. It belongs to the group called sea cucumbers, which are related to starfish and sea urchins. You can find this interesting animal living in the waters around New Zealand.

What Does It Look Like?

The burrowing sea cucumber gets its scientific name, Taeniogyrus dunedinensis, from Dunedin. This is a city in New Zealand where it was first discovered. A scientist named Thomas Parker first described it in 1881. He originally called it Chirodota dunedinensis.

This sea cucumber is quite small, usually about 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) long. It has ten whitish tentacles that become thinner at the ends. Its skin is smooth and looks a bit yellowish. This color comes from its internal organs showing through its see-through skin.

Thomas Parker also noticed small red spots on its body. These spots disappear when the creature is placed in a special liquid called spirit. However, there are also dark spots on the inside of its tentacles. These dark spots do not disappear in spirit.

Where Does It Live?

The burrowing sea cucumber, T. dunedinensis, lives along the coast of New Zealand. This includes the main islands, as well as the Auckland and Chatham Islands.

It is found in the littoral zone. This is the part of the ocean that is close to the shore. It is the area between the high tide and low tide marks. This means it can sometimes be covered by water and sometimes be exposed to the air.