Animal profile

Sea Pig

Scotoplanes globosa

HolothuroideaAbyssal soft sediment of the deep ocean floor

Field profile

A pale, translucent deep-sea cucumber a few centimetres long that walks on enlarged tube feet resembling legs. It occurs in aggregations on abyssal mud, sometimes numbering hundreds per hectare. It feeds on freshly settled organic material.

Published field notes

2025-12-22

Sea Pig

The sea pig walks on water-filled legs

Its several pairs of leg-like appendages are enlarged tube feet, extended and retracted by pumping seawater rather than by muscle contraction alone. The whole animal is powered by a hydraulic system with no bones and no blood.

Read with evidence →