-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Echinoderms (Phylum Echinodermata)

-Sea Urchins and Sea Cucumbers (Subphylum Echinozoa)

-Sea Cucumbers (Class Holothuroidea)

-Subclass (Actinopoda)

-Order (Holothuriida)

-Family (Holothuriidae)

-Genus (Holothuria)

These animals have a plump, cylindrical body with a somewhat firm, leathery skin that may feel slightly rough due to embedded skeletal elements. These tentacles are extended into the water column to capture plankton and organic particles, making them suspension feeders rather than sediment feeders like many other sea cucumbers. The tentacles are periodically brought to the mouth, one at a time, to transfer captured food.