Thousands of sea cucumbers wash ashore in coastal Oregon town

"Thousands of sea cucumbers have washed up on the beach in the Oregon coastal town of Seaside thanks to a combination of heavy surf and low tide. The partially translucent gelatinous creatures are called skin-breathing sea cucumbers. They normally burrow into the sand along the low tideline and farther out. But on Tuesday, they were scattered across more than 2 miles (3.2km) of Seaside Beach, said Tiffany Boothe, the assistant manager of the Seaside Aquarium."

"They're about a half-inch (1.3cm) long but can grow to about 6in. The phenomenon can occur whenever surf and tide conditions coincide, which can mean a few times a year or once in a few years. Sometimes a few will be scattered here and there on the shore but there were large groupings on the beach during this latest episode. The sea cucumbers aren't capable of returning to their natural habitat on their own so they will dry up and die, Boothe said."

Thousands of partially translucent skin-breathing sea cucumbers (Leptosynapta clarki) washed ashore along more than two miles of Seaside Beach, Oregon, after heavy surf combined with low tides. The gelatinous animals typically burrow into sand along the low tideline and farther out but were scattered in large groupings on the shore during the event. Individuals measure about a half-inch long but can grow to roughly six inches. Stranded cucumbers cannot return to the water and will dry up and die, supplying nutrients to beach hoppers, beach fleas and other tideline invertebrates while being ignored by birds.

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