The sea cucumber commonly nicknamed the "headless chicken monster" - unique for its webbed swimming fin structures - has been captured swimming at the Loudoun Seamount, in the Pacific Ocean.
Recorded on ROV Hercules’ Zeus camera while diving over 2,000 metres deep northwest of Hawaii, this dark-coloured sea cucumber is just one of the amazing creatures witnessed on expedition Luʻuaeaahikiikekumu while exploring the Liliʻuokalani Ridge Seamounts.
The sea cucumber commonly nicknamed the "headless chicken monster" - unique for its webbed swimming fin structures - has been captured swimming at the Loudoun Seamount, in the Pacific Ocean | Read more: https://t.co/6UGXb3T8Km pic.twitter.com/U46yyDKReQ
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Although it typically spends its days gobbling up detritus among sediment grains on the seabed, the unique behaviour to swim through the water column helps it avoid predators, locate to new feeding areas, and delight science teams.
The only species in its genus, it’s also sometimes known as a "swimming sea cucumber," "pink see-through fantasia," and a "headless chicken."
