SEA CUCUMBERS
Sea cucumbers are fascinating marine animals that belong to the class Holothuroidea, within the phylum Echinodermata — the same group that includes sea stars and sea urchins. Despite their name and cucumber-like shape, they are animals, not plants or vegetables.
| Lifespan: 20 - 60+ years (varies by species) |
| Phylum: Echinodermata |
| Class: Holothuroidea |
| Order: Apodida (no tube feet, burrowers) |
| Family: Soft, elongated, and leathery. They usually have tube feet or tiny tentacles for movement and feeding |
| Body: They live on the seafloor, mostly in shallow waters but also at deep-sea depths. |