The Sea Pig (Scotoplanes)

Oct 22, 2023 Interesting Creatures in Guyana, News

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Sea pigs searching for food on the sea floor

Kaieteur News – Yes there is also an animal in the sea that adores the mud and is very similar to pigs.

Sea pigs are Scotoplanes, scavengers that tiptoes over the deep seafloor, searching for a meal. The tentacles around its mouth probe the mud for treats — bits of dead animals, poop, and mucus.

Unlike the pigs we love to fatten until they weigh hundreds of pounds for meat, sea pigs are between 1.5 and 6 inches (4-15 centimeters) long.

The sea pig, according to scientists, may get its name from its pink-colored body and love of the muddy seafloor, but it’s actually a type of sea cucumber. The odd-looking, but surprisingly adorable creature has tube feet on its underbelly, back, and surrounding its mouth.

It spends its days snuffling through the muddy sediments on the seafloor, eating bits of dead algae and animals that have fallen from the surface. These animals would even herd up in huge numbers to devour the extremely large and decaying carcass of a whale.

Sea pigs are also known for being protectors of baby crabs. Researchers at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) noted that juvenile lithodid crabs (Neolithodes diomedeae) would climb onto or hide under sea pigs.
Scientists suspect that the crabs do this to protect themselves from predators.

Source of information: (https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/sea-pig)