Giant California Sea Cucumber
Apostichopus californicus
Marine Invertebrates
Rocky subtidal seafloor
iNaturalist record: 2022
Meet this species
Giant California sea cucumbers are large bottom-dwelling relatives of sea stars and sea urchins. As they move across the seafloor they consume organic material associated with sediments and surfaces, processing material that has settled out of the water above. Several observations at Greene Point show that these conspicuous animals are part of the local benthic community rather than an occasional curiosity.
Giant California sea cucumber on the rocky seafloor near Greene Point.
What to look for:
Look for a large, elongated animal moving slowly across the seafloor. Giant California sea cucumbers are usually reddish, orange-brown or mottled, with a soft body covered in prominent fleshy projections. Their size and textured surface make them one of the easier sea cucumbers to recognize underwater.
Why It Matters Here:
Sea cucumbers help tell the less-visible story of recycling on the seafloor. Material produced in the forest, creek, plankton and marine food web eventually becomes detritus, and animals such as sea cucumbers participate in processing that material and returning nutrients to the ecosystem.
Field Record
Documented at Greene Point through field observations and photographs recorded on iNaturalist.