Snot Sea Cucumber

Scientific name: Leptosynapta dolabrifera
  • Updated
    28/10/25
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Leptosynapta dolabrifera Click to enlarge image
Snot Sea Cucumber, Leptosynapta dolabrifera Image: Dr Isobel Bennett
© Australian Museum

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Leptosynapta
    Species
    dolabrifera
    Family
    Synaptidae
    Order
    Apodida
    Class
    Holothuroidea
    Phylum
    Echinodermata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    15 cm

Introduction

The Snot Sea Cucumber is covered in a mucous slime and feels sticky to touch.

What do Snot Sea Cucumbers look like?

Identification

Like all echinoderms, the Snot Sea Cucumber has spiny skin. The microscopic spines, called anchors, are embedded into the thin, transparent body wall and help the sea cucumber burrow through the sand.

Snot Sea Cucumber, Leptosynapta dolabrifera
Snot Sea Cucumber, Leptosynapta dolabrifera. Image: sarah-sydneydives
© CC BY-NC 4.0

Where do Snot Sea Cucumbers live?

Habitat

Snot Sea Cucumbers live in soft sediments (mud/silt/sand) often near rocky reefs from the lower intertidal to shallow subtidal depths (shore to ~20–30 m).

Distribution

Snot Sea Cucumbers are native to southern Australia and found in Victoria, South Australia, parts of Western Australia and Tasmania.

Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

What do Snot Sea Cucumbers eat?

Feeding and diet

The Snot Sea Cucumber is a deposit-feeder. It burrows, contracting its body like a huge earthworm, and ingests sand and mud using tentacles surrounding its mouth. The sea cucumber extracts nutrients from the sediments and excretes the rest, leaving behind trails of sand like squeezed toothpaste.

Snot Sea Cucumber, Leptosynapta dolabrifera
Snot Sea Cucumber, Leptosynapta dolabrifera. Image: Matt Tank
© CC BY-NC 4.0