Echinoderm · sea cucumber

Pink abyssal sea cucumber

Amperima rosea

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 3 oceans

Depth

Abyssal plains, around 4,000 to 5,000 m

Size

2 to 3.5 cm

Diet

Plankton debris fallen from the surface

Zone

The sea floor · 200 – 3,500 m

Key facts

• It swallows mud to extract the remains of microscopic algae fallen from the surface.
• On the Porcupine Abyssal Plain, off Ireland, it was very rare before 1996.
• Within a few years, it went from 2 or 3 to more than 6,000 individuals per hectare, over an area larger than the United Kingdom.
• This boom probably followed an increase in food falling from the surface.

Verified sources

1. ScienceDaily 2010 : Mystery explosion of deep-sea creatures explained
2. Wikipédia (point de départ) : Amperima rosea, avec renvois à WoRMS et Wigham et al. 2003

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Scaly-foot gastropodChrysomallon squamiferum Indian Ocean vent shrimpRimicaris kairei Java giant isopodBathynomus raksasa Seafarer’s ghost sharkChimaera willwatchi Coral Seamount blue sea cucumberPannychia taylorae Giant abyssal anemoneRelicanthus daphneae