Yaranga

The Sea Cucumber is an echinoderm with an elongated body and leathery skin, which is found on the sea floor worldwide.

Sea

Sea cucumbers are generally scavengers, feeding on debris in the benthic layer. Their diet consists of plankton and other organic matter found in the sea. One way they might get a supply of food is to position themselves in a current where they can catch food that flow by with their tentacles when they open. Another way is to sift through the bottom sediments using their tentacles. They can be found in great numbers beneath fish farms.
It is so named because of its cucumber-like shape. Like all echinoderms, sea cucumbers have an endoskeleton just below the skin.
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Sea Cucumber as Food and Medicine

Sea cucumber is considered a delicacy in the Far East. It is also highly valued for its supposed medicinal properties. The flesh of the animal is "cleaned" in a process that takes several days. The food item is often purchased dried, and then rehydrated before use. The product is used in soups, stews and braised dishes due to its gelatinous texture.

Some varieties of sea cucumber (known as gamat in Malaysia) are said to have excellent healing properties. There are pharmaceutical companies being built based on this gamat product. Extracts are prepared and made into oil, cream or cosmetics. Some products are intended to be taken internally. The effectiveness of sea cucumber extract in tissue repair has been the subject of serious study. It not only helps a wound heal more quickly but is also said to reduce scarring.

Source and Images courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_cucumber, afsc.noaa.gov/kodiak/photo/miscuke03.htm