Hello folks, I come to you in a rather roundabout way, courtesy of Greg, Cthulhu77. I'm not a trained biologist, just an amateur naturalist, so I'm looking for some expert info.

Is there anyone here who could help me with some info on Sea Cucumbers? Yes, I know they're echinoderms, but unless you can point me to an echino forum you're stuck with me. :razz:

I need info on the Five-toothed sea cucumber, Actinopyga agasizii. My question regards its anal teeth, specifically, how is it determined that the end with the teeth is actually the anus? Does it always eat at the other end and excrete at the toothed end? Is there some other aspect of the anatomy which determines which end is the head? I'm sure the answer is simple, so simple in fact that my present limited references and an internet search don't bother mentioning it. :hmm:

No supreme rush on this, the presentation I was prepping for has been postponed due to the annual chocolate festival (Easter). :wink:

If you have a lot of info or a link you can e-mail me directly at whaler@sympatico.ca

Thanks!

:welcome: did you see this thread?

http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6387

:welcome:

:welcome: did you see this thread?

http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6387

I don't think he can read that one without forking out the $25 bucks to become a supporter... bwahahaha, we can extort more filthy lucre to use for our nefarious purposes!

Or, someone could re-post the links here "outside the firewall" for our new rodent friend.

Here are the exciting links from that thread-- to see the snide comments, you'll have to fork over the dough...

(not sure if a link to an attachment in a forum you can't read will work)
http://www.tonmo.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=2335&d=1144636072

http://waquarium.otted.hawaii.edu/MLP/root/html/MarineLife/Invertebrates/Echinoderms/SeaCucumbers.html

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rs/index.php

All these are from Cuttlegirl's vast 5-pointed knowledge pool. (I bet she knows the 5 point palm exploding heart technique, too)

:welcome: did you see this thread?

http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6387

Nah, got this one instead:

The Rat, you do not have permission to access this page.

That middle one gave me what I needed, thanks monty!

Sea cucumbers, like other echinoderms, lack a distinct "head". Instead, the mouth end of a sea cucumber is ringed by 5 feeding tentacles used in gathering food particles.

See? What did I tell you? These guys are the font of knowledge!
Now, you just need to write some papers on cephs for your group...