Furry Sea Cucumber

Astichopus multifidus is a robust, soft-bodied species growing to a maximum length of 40 cm (16 in) and width of 10 cm (4 in). Both its dorsal and ventral surfaces are uniformly covered with hundreds of tube feet, those on the dorsal surface being extended into papillae, fleshy conical projections about 1 cm (0.4 in) long with tube feet at their tips. This sea cucumber is chocolate brown or dark grey, sometimes mottled with paler patches or speckled with many small white spots.

Astichopus multifidus is native to the Caribbean region. Its range includes the West Indies, the southern tip of Florida, the Dry Tortugas and the region of the Campeche Bank and southwards to Colombia and Venezuela. It is found on sandy seabeds near reefs and occasionally in seagrass meadows, at depths ranging between 10 and 30 m (33 and 98 ft).