My favorite creatures in the ocean are the weird ones. Those blobby, slippery, bizarre, alien-looking things that make you wonder “How does that live on our planet with us?” They remind me that the slice of nature I get to see is just a small fraction of the life out there. The Earth is a weird place, and that’s what makes it wonderful.
And that’s why it gives me such great pleasure to introduce you to one of these strange and glorious creatures: the swimming sea cucumber, also known as the headless chicken monster. This curious creature is a beautiful deep red color with fins that look like a fringed veil, giving it a vibe that might best belong in Dracula’s castle. These sea cucumbers are on the large side, averaging about nine inches in length, compared to their smaller fellow sea cucumbers. They can be found in the benthic zone, the sandy bottom of the ocean.
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People who see these creatures have mixed reactions with some finding them beautiful, strange or terrifying. This mixed reaction is reflected in the many different names people have for them. Their scientific name is Enypniastes eximia which means the “dreamer sea cucumber.” Their common name is the swimming sea cucumber which reflects the fact that this species is unusually mobile compared to its other sea-cucumber cousins. They have unique webbed fin-like structures that not only help them move but make them look cool while doing so.
The other names for the swimming sea cucumber get a little weird, which is understandable when trying to find a title befitting such a peculiar creature. Some call the creature a Spanish dancer after the way it gracefully moves through the ocean with its red frills waving around (not to be confused with the Spanish dancer nudibranch, another swimming invertebrate). Others call it the pink sea-through fantasia due to its rosy hue and transparent body. The most shocking name this sea cucumber has earned is the “headless chicken monster.” This moniker came from ROV pilots who saw swimming sea cucumbers in the deep sea and thought they looked chickens right before going in the oven.
These sea cucumbers spend most of their time walking along the ocean floor. Their tentacles both move them and help them scoop up sand to allow them to eat the detritus they find there. Their transparent bodies mean that the food they eat can be tracked through their digestive systems. Just because they prefer to lie on the sandy bottom doesn’t mean they can’t move when needed; these swimming sea cucumbers can travel up the water column to find new food sources and to avoid predators.
As much as I’d love to tell you more about these chicken monsters, there aren’t many more known details because of where they live. It’s hard to study animals that can live miles below the ocean surface and well below the maximum depths human divers can reach. There have been only a few recorded sightings of these swimming sea cucumbers! They are incredible reminders of all the fascinating deep-sea creatures that live in our ocean and are only rarely seen like the blob fish or glass octopus. If you are curious about what else the ocean is hiding in its depths, you can explore more deep-sea creatures here.
The last place these mysterious ocean creatures were spotted were in the deep seas near Chile. Climate change affects all levels in the ocean, even the depths where these swimming sea cucumbers roam. We hope these weird and wonderful creatures spotlight why it is so important to take climate action now to protect our planet. Join Ocean Conservancy in protecting our ocean for all the creatures that live in it, even those we might not commonly see.
The post Why is This Sea Cucumber Called a Headless Chicken Monster? appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
This fall, Ocean Conservancy is celebrating its 41st annual International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC), once again bringing together volunteers to protect the beaches and waterways we all love. Ocean Conservancy recently hosted flagship events in Long Beach and Washington, D.C. that celebrated this global movement close to home.
Over the past four decades, nearly 20 million volunteers have rolled up their sleeves to remove more than 405 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways around the world. And their impact extends far beyond what they collect. ICC volunteers have documented nearly 440 million individual items, creating the world’s largest marine debris database and providing invaluable information that helps Ocean Conservancy and others better understand—and tackle—ocean plastic pollution.
This year’s celebration continued that incredible legacy. At Alamitos Beach in Southern California, more than 150 volunteers gathered on September 19 and removed 1,109 pounds of trash, alongside members of Team USA Artistic Swimming and Olympic and Paralympic athletes. In Washington, D.C., 439 volunteers gathered on September 26 to remove 2,182 pounds of trash from Anacostia Park along the Anacostia River.
“I am so grateful to all of the volunteers who came out today for our ocean—and every volunteer who has made the last 41 years of impact possible,” said Ocean Conservancy’s Senior Director of Conservation Cleanups, Allison Schutes. “Every piece of plastic collected helps protect marine animals and habitats and contributes to research and advocacy.”
And the impact doesn’t stop when the cleanup ends. During International Coastal Cleanup events, volunteers do more than remove trash: They document what they find, helping build a clearer picture of the plastic pollution threatening our waterways and wildlife. Through the Clean Swell® app or paper data sheets, ICC volunteers contribute to Ocean Conservancy’s online, open-access database, the world’s largest repository of marine debris data. These records help scientists, conservation groups and governments understand pollution trends and identify solutions.
That data can also drive meaningful policy change. ICC data were recently used in a peer-reviewed study showing that plastic bag bans lead to reduced plastic bag pollution. The data have also helped advance policies ranging from California’s SB 54 to Florida’s balloon release ban and the federal Farewell to Foam Act. From a neighborhood cleanup to statewide action, every piece of documented trash helps build the evidence needed to tackle plastic pollution at its source.
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Want to get involved?
Whether you join a local cleanup, record the trash you find using the Clean Swell app, or take action to reduce plastic pollution, you can be part of this incredible collective effort to protect our ocean. Here are a few ways to make an impact:
- Find a cleanup near you.
- Download our Clean Swell app to easily record the trash you collect.
- Take action to reduce plastic pollution.
- Explore our Wildlife Impact Calculator to estimate the potential benefits of your cleanup for marine wildlife.
- Donate today to Ocean Conservancy to help us fight plastic pollution for years to come!
The post Celebrating 41 Years of the International Coastal Cleanup® appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
For generations, stories of people being swallowed by enormous sea creatures have painted awe-inspiring tales of human survival and perseverance. From the biblical account of Jonah to the legendary battle of Hercules and Cetus to the timeless story of Pinocchio, these legendary tales have captivated people since time immemorial.
But all these stories raise the question: Could someone really be swallowed by a whale? With the premiere of the film Whalefall on October 16, 2026, you may find yourself in conversations about this very situation. Based on the bestselling 2023 thriller authored by Daniel Kraus, the film tells the story of a scuba diver who is accidentally gobbled up by a sperm whale while searching for the remains of his late father. With only an hour of oxygen left in his tank, the diver must fight to escape the whale’s gut before time runs out.
The answer to whether it’s anatomically possible for a whale to swallow a person is actually a bit more complicated than you might think.