Taipei, July 18 (CNA) A strange sea creature that looks like a sea cucumber but is actually a type of shell-less mollusk has recently been seen in Taiwan's waters for the first time, a marine biology expert said Tuesday.
The species -- which was given the scientific name of Epimenia babai Salvini-Plawen in 1997 -- was spotted in the Chaojing Bay Conservation Area in Keelung, said Chiu Yuh-wen, a researcher at National Cheng Kung University's Center for Research in Water Science and Technology.
After news of the discovery came to light, several divers recently said they have also seen the marine creature.
Though it looks like a sea slug, it belongs to a small class of shell-less marine mollusks known as solenogastres. They mainly feed on soft coral polyps and have been found to live on carnation tree corals, Chiu said.
Chen Li-shu, the head of the Keelung-based National Museum of Marine Science and Technology's exhibition and education division, said the museum will closely study and observe the species and urged anybody who spots one to report it to the museum so that it can gather more information.
