I have never before seen one rear up like this.

Did it do anything afterwards? I think that's how they spawn...

I hope it wasn't looking at me as potential honey!
Here are a couple more of the same cuke.

Wow, interesting Ron! Thanks for posting them...maybe one of our sealife experts can tell us some more about that behavior???

Where did you see this?

Bachelors Beach, late May 2006

What strikes me is that the sea cuke is on top of a head of live coral. Sea cucumbers don't climb up on coral naturally, because the coral stings them. If the coral polyps were stinging the sea cuke, it might rear up like this in an attempt to get out of an uncomfortable situation as quickly as possible.

Do we know how it got there?

Sea cukes do rear up in a way similar to that when they're spawning, but once they rear up they squirt out the reproductive materials and lie back down. The times I've seen them spawning have been at night.

We have seen them on top of coral heads when they are spawning. This chap here was, but I only have close ups.

I came upon the cucumber from around the coral head and it was already on the brain coral. I remember that it was moving quite fast for what it was, so maybe stinging was involved. The second picture is it leaving the brain coral and heading to the sand. Thanks for the info; every dive brings something new!

Hi Dee!
That's why I asked if it did anything else afterwards.

I wasn't aware they were sensitive to coral stings though... thanks for the info!

Sorry we'll be missing you this trip!

Susan

Dee, thanks for the info, and ron and brian, thanks for the pics. I didn't know that coral heads sting them either...very intersting!

I am remiss in not thanking Dee for her prompt reply to my question about sea cucumber behavior. I e-mailed her and asked her to reply to the BT thread and she did so within hours. I truly appreciate such a valuable resource. Thank you Dee!