Psolus squamatus
Amazing fact
With its tentacles tucked in, the Jiigase sea cucumber looks like a rock to a passing crab.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
With its tentacles tucked in, the Jiigase sea cucumber looks like a rock to a passing crab.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Psolus squamatus
- Scientific name
- Psolus squamatus
- Japanese name
- ジイガセキンコ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Class
- Holothuroidea
- Order
- Dendrochirotida
- Family
- Psolidae
- Genus
- Psolus
Where the name “Psolus squamatus” comes from
The word squamatus in its scientific name means scaly.
University of British ColumbiaIts back is rounded and covered with large scale-like plates, but its underside has none and is flat.
In seas such as Sagami Bay, Toyama Bay and north of Iwate, it sticks to rocks and hardly moves.
How the Psolus squamatus lives
It spreads long, finely branched tentacles into the water. Tiny bits of food stick to its sticky mucus. It brings its food-covered tentacles into its mouth in turn.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteBasic data
- Diet
- Suspended matter in the water and other material
- Range
- Off southern Kii Channel, Sagami Bay, Toyama Bay, and Iwate and northward
Where the Psolus squamatus has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 鳥羽水族館 — ジイガセキンコChecked: 2026-11-04
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute — Armored sea cucumberChecked: 2026-11-07
- University of British Columbia — Psolus squamatus — White Armoured Sea CucumberChecked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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