sea cucumber

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Pair Accused of Trafficking Sea Cucumbers Could Get 25 Years

Zunyu Zhao, Xionwei Xiao plead guilty to illegal importation of endangered species worth $10K

(Newser) - Wildlife traffickers pleaded guilty this week in federal court in California to illegally importing endangered sea cucumbers—which are prized in China for food and medicine and as a reputed aphrodisiac—from Mexico. Zunyu Zhao and Xionwei Xiao were charged with conspiracy and illegal importation of brown sea cucumbers worth...

'Headless Chicken Monster' of the Sea Caught on Camera

It's actually a sea cucumber, and it was captured on film in a rarity

(Newser) - A bizarre ocean creature with an even stranger nickname has been caught on camera for the first time. Previously only seen in the Gulf of Mexico, the sea cucumber Enypniasties eximia, affectionately known as the "headless chicken monster," was spotted in the Southern Ocean off of eastern Antarctica...

These Critters Just Landed Man in Jail With $1.5M Fine

Wash. seafood company owner admits overharvesting sea cucumbers for years

(Newser) - The owner of a Washington-state seafood company will spend two years in prison for overharvesting sea cucumbers and pay $1.5 million in restitution—the second such big bust in the West in just over a year. Hoon Namkoong, 62, was also sentenced Friday to three years of post-prison supervision....

Father, Son Allegedly Smuggled $17M of Sea Cucumbers to US

The charges shed light on the issue of sea cucumber smuggling

(Newser) - Charges against a father-son partnership for allegedly smuggling more than $17 million worth of sea cucumbers to the US and exporting them to Asia sheds light on a growing and lucrative illegal cross-border trade, the AP reports. David Mayorquin and his father, Ramon Torres Mayorquin, are accused of a scheme...

Tully Monster Mystery Not Solved After All

Scientists call for re-examination of the Tully Monster

(Newser) - Some creatures are so weird they seem to defy classification. They're even assigned the word "Problematica," a classification that serves as a sort of purgatory for the strangest of the strange as our understanding of the evolutionary tree of life continues to deepen. Such is the case...

Sea Slugs Inspire New Brain Implant Technology

Findings could apply to people with Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries

(Newser) - Sure, it’s a warty creepy-crawly that lurks at the bottom of the ocean, but the sea cucumber has inspired scientists to create a new material that could be used in implanted brain electrodes to help people with Parkinson’s disease, reports the BBC. The creature stiffens its skin when...

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