Pinkfish Sea Cucumber

Holothuria edulis is a medium-sized sea cucumber reaching a length of about 30 centimetres (12 in). It has a roughly cylindrical shape with rounded ends but can retract and expand its body and adopt different shapes. It is usually soft and pliable with a smooth skin but, due to the special characteristics of its connective tissue, it can become firm and rigid. The body is lined with longitudinal rows of small tube feet which can be withdrawn into the body wall, leaving small hollows. About twenty tube feet in a ring round the mouth are modified into feeding tentacles. This sea cucumber is usually a dark reddish-black colour on its upper side and a pinkish-mauve colour below, but can be grey or dark brown.

Holothuria edulis is a common and widespread species in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. It lives on the seabed at depths down to 20 metres (66 ft). Its range extends from the Red Sea and East African coast to Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, northern Australia and various Pacific islands. It is found in a number of different habitats including on sandy or muddy substrates, on coral rubble and in seagrass meadows. It can be found on inner and outer reef flats, on back reef slopes and in lagoons.

As its name implies, Holothuria edulis is edible. It is dried and sold as "bêche-de-mer" or "trepang" in China and Indonesia.