These are most SCUBA divers idea of classical Cucumbers – a sort of large, ugly, very slow moving caterpillar. They actually perform essential reef cleaning work, filtering large amounts of dirty sand every year – not beautiful, but beneficial all the same.
Bohadschia vitiensis is a distinctively shaped and coloured deposit feeder, often found partially buried in the sand.
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A common Sea Cucumber on the reef - it always seems to have sand sticking to it.
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These beasts have a charming defence mechanism; they eject a load of sticky stuff - known as Cuvierian Tubules - on their attacker.
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This Sea Cucmber is known as the Sandfish - even though there's nothing at all fishy about it!
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This Sea Cucumber used to be in the genus Bohadschia. The juvenile mimics the toxic Nudibranch Phyllidia varicosa.
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Phangan Marine Life
