Enypniastes
| Polycheira | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Holothuroidea |
| Order: | Elasipodida |
| Family: | Pelagothuriidae |
| Genus: | Enypniastes |
Enypniastes is a genus of deep-sea sea cucumber. There are two species in the genus: E. eximia and E. globosa.
Species in this genus have developed webbed swimming structures at the front and back of their bodies which enable them to swim up off the surface of the sea floor and to journey as much as 1000m up into the water column. This is thought to help the animals move to new feeding grounds and avoid predators.
When Oceaneering ROV pilots saw and photographed the creature at 2500m depth they named it “The Headless Chicken Fish.”[1]
Species
The genus have two species:
- Enypniastes eximia - Pink sea cucumber
- Enypniastes globosa
Notes
References
- http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/E/Enypniastes_eximia/
- The Blue Planet-http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/factfiles/starfish_urchins/swimming_sea_cucumber_bg.shtml
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