第 1287 號，共 1 402 號

Sea apple

Pseudocolochirus violaceus

無害對人無害。不用擔心。

吃了會中毒吃：小小的海鮮有毒（碰或吃會中毒），不是有毒液

The sea apple is a round, colourful sea cucumber that lives in the warm waters of the Indo-Pacific. It filters tiny floating food from the water with its feathery tentacles. It is special because it can release a toxin into the water when it is stressed, which can harm other sea creatures nearby.1

有毒還是有毒液？有毒液的動物會用咬或螫把毒液注入身體。有毒的動物則是碰到或吃下去會有害。這種動物是有毒的（碰或吃會中毒）。

分布在

Indo-Pacific waters1

太平洋, 印度洋, 珊瑚海, 菲律賓海, 帝汶海與阿拉弗拉海

首頁

Found in Indo-Pacific waters. Sea apples are often kept as display animals in marine aquariums.1

長度

20 cm (7,9 in)1

最高速度

大約 0,02 km/h（0,01 mph）

游泳, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

Sea apples feed mainly on plankton, which they filter from the water with their tentacles. They bring each tentacle to the mouth in turn and scrape off the trapped plankton.1

Sea apple 的照片 — Sea apple。照片：Marrabbio2。 CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

Colourful, somewhat round body that is ovate (egg-shaped)1
A central mouth-like opening surrounded by feathery tentacles1
Rows of tube feet that help it move and hold onto surfaces1
The Australian species has a mainly purple body, red feet, and purple and white tentacles1

毒素力量

吃了會中毒

只有被吃下去時才有害。

牠的毒素有什麼作用？

Sea apples release a toxic saponin called holothurin into the water when they are stressed. Saponin is a chemical that is harmful to other organisms. In aquariums, this toxin can poison other animals living nearby.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 輕微跟蜜蜂螫差不多或更輕微。對人基本上無害。

Its toxin can poison other aquarium inhabitants, and this is one reason sea apples are not commonly kept in aquariums.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When disturbed, sea apples can violently push out their internal organs through their rear end, a process called evisceration. They can also release their toxin into the water.1

如果有人碰了或吃了牠

把傷口泡在熱水裡，水溫要在傷者能忍受、又不會燙傷的範圍內，並就醫請醫生取出棘刺。不要自己挖出來。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果你碰了或吃了牠：不要揉眼睛或摸嘴巴，把手洗乾淨，並且就醫。

牠不是想來抓你。牠的毒只是為了不讓別的動物吃掉牠。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲太平洋印度洋珊瑚海菲律賓海帝汶海與阿拉弗拉海

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 6 塊玩具積木排成一排一樣長比花園蝸牛還慢

Sea apple 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻海馬 大約 0,0015 km/h (0 mph)

Sea apple 大約 0,02 km/h (0,01 mph)

一隻花園蝸牛 大約 0,05 km/h (0,03 mph)

值得知道

小知識

Sea apples can swell to nearly double their original size by drinking large amounts of seawater when threatened or in an unsuitable environment.1

Their swollen bodies let water currents carry them to a new area, which is much quicker than walking.1

In aquariums, sea apples often starve because plankton levels are lower than they need, and they try to feed in the daytime too.1

Hermit crabs and fish often peck at sea apple tentacles, either to eat them or to steal the food caught in them.1

Sea apples usually feed at night, when their delicate tentacles are less at risk from predators.1

破解迷思

迷思： Sea apples are safe for reef aquariums.

真相： Sea apples are considered reef safe for their compatibility with other species. However, they are unsafe for reef aquariums for other reasons, including starvation and the toxin they release.1