It only eats one flavour of sponge, and it feasts so voraciously that Syanptula lamperti’s dinner takes less than an hour to pass from one end to the other!
Lampert’s sea cucumbers (Syanptula lamperti) are small white sea cucumbers frequently seen on night dives in the Indo-Pacific, writhing all over their host sponges.
They are only found on or near elephant ear sponges (Lanthella basta) as they feed exclusively on microscopic organic particles exuded from the sponge at night.
The creature has an elongated, opaque body which can reach 5cm in length, white in colour with several dark-coloured, longitudinal stripes.
Unlike most other sea cucumbers, they don’t have tube feet. A few appendages have been modified into feeding tentacles around the mouth, which are constantly in motion.
The body is covered in tiny hooks that protrude through the skin and make the animal seem sticky. They move around rapidly and efficiently using the hooks at one end of their bodies for adhesion, while muscular contractions and changes in hydrostatic pressure alter the position of the other end.
They only feed on their host sponges under the cover of night, and consume and digest their food so rapidly it takes less than an hour to pass from one end to the other.
As an added bonus, if they are damaged they can regenerate new individuals from both ends of their worm-like bodies
The post Marine Curios #18 – Lampert’s Sea Cucumber, Syanptula lamperti appeared first on DIVE Magazine.
