Enypniastes

Hey guys,welcome back!
So this next creature has been called alot of names,
the best name by far is "The Headless Chicken Fish"
want to know why?

there you go! the one on the left is an actual headless chicken..while the one on the right is our special creature, the

Enypniastes

What we have here is one of the weirdest sea creatures the sea has to offer.
But what is it,really? A jellyfish? And oh my,are those its guts?
Although we have this habit of subconsciously calling everything that swims a fish, this fascinating creature is actually a sea cucumber,one that can fly,or rather, swim.
And yes,those are its guts. The opening at the top is its mouth,surrounded by tentacles used to grab mud on the sea floor. The mud goes through the only thing visible,the gut, and through an opening at the rear.

For most sea cucumbers, the anus is an all-important organ, also known as
a "cloaca", which means it's a multi-purpose opening. Most vertebrates have one for excretion, egestion and reproduction - we mammals are actually quite odd for the division of labour we employ. But Sea Cucumbers also breathe through it! When we humans pass air through the posterior aperture people laugh, frown or say "whoever smelt it, dealt it". For Sea Cucumbers it's just normal breathing. So,if you're getting curious about all this anus talk,check out the Sea Cucumber post.

These odd fellows certainly can swim. They do so very slowly by flapping that vampiric cape of theirs. It's slow going, but it all looks rather tranquil and graceful. Looking closely, it appears that as the cape strikes the rest of the body, their flesh wobbles like so much flab. I presume they have soft bodies to deal with the immense, deep sea pressures. Regardless, this is probably the most attractive any Sea Cucumber is ever gonna get!

These creatures have been found widely spread,all over the world,as a matter of fact. However,there is nothing to be afraid of,since they live far,far away from dry land. They live in depths between 500 and 5,000 metres (1,640-16,400 ft), and can swim up to 1,000m (3,280 ft) above the ocean floor.

 Being able to swim really make them the 'white sheep' of the sea cucumber family. But there's something else they can do. Something reassuringly disgusting. Something totally Sea Cucumber.

When threatened, they bioluminesce.If it's a light touch, just a small part lights up, though this can slowly spread across the whole animal. If it gets touched too much the whole thing will quickly light up, revealing not only its own position, but also the position of its assailant to any predators who may be in the area.

But that's not all...

For one, the bioluminesce particles stick to the predators, lighting them up as bright as a Christmas tree for all to see. The bioluminesce particles are actually part of our creature's skin. A good enough sacrifice in exchange for its live. When the particles detach from our creature's skin and stick to the predator, our creature is once more cloaked in darkness and free to recover.

check out this video to see what I mean:

WARNING! DO NOT TOUCH!

references:
 http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=6D37D0260713B4DE520F5DC904C6B431.journals?fromPage=online&aid=4372620

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/enypniastes-eximia

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/factfiles/starfish_urchins/swimming_sea_cucumber_bg.shtml

http://blamoscience.tumblr.com/post/22668496406/this-sea-dwelling-sea-cucumber-enypniastes