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Sea Cucumber

Deep-sea swimming sea cucumbers (Pelagothuriidae) are sometimes seen on the seafloor and sometimes in the water column. This one was seen during Dive 11 of the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration. Due to its semitransparent body, we can see its intestine, which is filled with sand from which it extracts its nutrients.

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Credit

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration.