To put it simply, sea slugs are more closely related to shelled animals, like clams and oysters, than they are to sea cucumbers. On the other hand, sea cucumbers are most closely related to spiny animals, like sea stars and sea urchins..
Hereof, are sea cucumbers and sea slugs the same?
Sea Cucumbers are sometimes called Sea Slugs but they are not 'real' Sea Slugs. Basically Sea Cucumbers are Echinoderms, related to Starfish and Sea Urchins. They feed by collecting fine organic particles which form a layer on the sea bottom, with their feathery tentacles which encircle their mouth.
Likewise, what phylum is a sea slug? Mollusca Lophotrochozoa
Keeping this in consideration, can you eat a sea slug?
'True' sea slugs are molluscs - in fact specialised snails. However there is another group of animals which are also called 'sea slugs'. These are variously called sea cucumbers, holothurians, beche de mer, trepang, etc. These are definitely edible.
Can sea cucumbers kill you?
A number of sea cucumber species exude a toxin that is lethal to small animals but not to humans; South Sea islanders place sea cucumber juices in water to kill or stupefy fish. Sea cucumbers are found in all oceans, mostly in shallow water but sometimes at depths of many thousands of metres.
Related Question Answers
Can sea slugs live out of water?
Unlike land slugs, which use lungs to breathe, sea slugs breathe using their gills. Yes, they breathe in the same region of their bodies in which they poop! Despite this, the gills provide the slugs with enough oxygen from the water for them to survive.How long do sea slugs live?
about one year
Do sea slugs bite?
This sea slug stores stinging nematocysts from the siphonophores within its own tissues as defence against predators. Humans handling the slug may receive a very painful and potentially dangerous sting.Can sea slugs be pets?
While most species are not well-suited to life in captivity due to their specialized diets, there are some sea slug species that by chance or by choice make interesting aquarium inhabitants!How big do sea slugs get?
Sea slugs can range in size from just a few millimetres to more than 30 centimetres in length and can be found in a variety of colours and shapes. The sea slug is a hermaphrodite, meaning that the sea slug has both male and female reproductive organs.What does sea slug taste like?
In general, slugs are edible, but they don't taste very good. Their mucus coating tends to be very bitter tasting. This cuts down on their being eaten by other animals in the wild. Another problem with them is that they eat fungi, including poisonous fungi.Can you eat sea cucumber?
Sea cucumbers can also be eaten raw, pickled or fried. They have a slippery texture and bland taste, so they're usually infused with flavor from other ingredients like meats, other seafood or spices.Do sea cucumbers move?
Most sea cucumbers move slowly by using their tiny tube feet, but some also have a faster escape response—they swim by flexing their bodies and inching along the seafloor. As a deep sea cucumber crawls across the seafloor, mud and tiny pieces of fallen food cling to its sticky tentacles.Are sea slugs safe to touch?
Some sea slugs are toxic, but this sea slug has not previously been known to contain this particular toxin. Sea slugs naturally produce toxins to deter predators, such as fish, from eating them because they are vulnerable, being soft-bodied and slow-moving.Where do you find sea slugs?
Sea Slugs are found in all seas of the world, not just tropical reefs. To find some photos of sea slugs from interesting places go to the SEARCH page and type in antarctica or arctic and you will get a list of names of sea slugs found in the coldest parts of the earth.Is a sea slug a fish?
I wish to know whether a sea slug is a fish. Dear Stephaine, Sea Slugs are specialised snails, and many of them, such as the nudibranchs, have 'lost' their shells. Fish on the other hand are chordates (including vertebrates), a Phylum which includes all animals with a backbone - fish, frogs, birds, mammals etc.How do sea slugs reproduce?
Like many sea slugs, all Siphopteron species are simultaneous hermaphrodites, and so every one of them has male and female sexual organs. When two slugs mate, each prefers to act as a male, because that way they can fertilise lots of other slugs. When they finally get down to business, the mating isn't pretty.How do sea slugs communicate?
How do slugs communicate? Slugs and snails produce pheromones and can detect them across some distances. Once they get close, they can trade pheromones directly. Bonus: slugs can also detect pheromones left behind in another slug's slime trail in a sense, that is snail mail!How do sea slugs eat?
The sea slug is a herbivorous animals and feeds on plankton and decaying matter on the ocean floor, along with grazing on the rocks and coral reefs for algae. By munching on the decomposing plant matter on the ocean floor, the sea slug is of great benefit to every marine environment where the sea inhabits.Do sea slugs have brains?
The sea slug Aplysia californica, a red, green or brown hermaphrodite that can grow up to 16 inches long, has the biggest brain cells, or neurons, in the animal kingdom, at up to a millimeter long. These marine snails also have just 20,000 or so neurons, compared with the 100 billion in people.Are purple sea slugs poisonous?
Known also as nudibranchs, they are found in an almost endless assortment of shapes, sizes, and colors. Their bright color patterns are serve as a warning to predators that they taste bad. Some nudibranchs are even poisonous. They are carnivores, feeding on sponges, tunicates, barnacles, and even other nudibranchs.How long do sea bunnies live?
The average lifespan of a sea bunny slug is between a couple of months and a year.How many sea slugs are there?
THERE ARE MORE THAN 3000 SPECIES. The bizarre, beautiful sea slugs called nudibranchs can be found in marine environments all over the world.What is a group of nudibranchs called?
Nudibranchs are a widespread and successful group of marine Gastropod molluscs. The name means 'naked gills'. Nudibranchs are one of the groups which are informally known as sea slugs. This is a term which includes other Gastropod groups which look similar to nudibranchs. 
