Sea apple

Where is the animal to be found?

The sea apple is a sea cucumber that is found in the Indo-Pacific. It lives in the Indo-Pacific - Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Japan, along the east coast of Africa from South Africa as far as the Red Sea and Madagascar.

How can it be recognised?

It can be recognised by its very colourful body.

What is distinctive about it?

In response to danger, sea apples, like all sea cucumbers, have protective organs called Cuvierian tubules. The animal expels them when threatened and quickly regenerates them. When these filaments, which are made of a viscous material, come into contact with water, they swell up and turn into a protective mucus. By doing so, it paralyses its enemy, leaving it trapped.

Threat and protective measure

To date, there are no specific protection or census measures for the sea apple, which only interests the aquarium sector.