About Bohadschia marmorata Jaeger, 1833
Bohadschia marmorata has a cylindrical body shape and reaches an adult length of around 35 centimetres (14 inches). Its body wall is tough and leathery, with a rough texture caused by embedded calcareous spicules. The body is covered in translucent papillae that grow up to 1 centimetre (0.39 in) across, along with a small number of short spines. The anterior (front) end of the body is somewhat narrowed, and holds a mouth that is surrounded by a ring of retractile tentacles. The posterior (rear) end is rounded and has an anal opening, which adjoins the cloaca. When the animal is stressed, it can eject defensive white sticky threads called cuvierian tubules through the cloaca. The cloaca is also connected to the respiratory tree; water is pumped into and out of this structure for gas exchange. The base body colour of Bohadschia marmorata is cream or orange, partially covered by a variable number of dark brown speckles and blotches. The underside has a wide pale longitudinal stripe, plus many short, slender tube feet with knobbly tips. Bohadschia marmorata occurs in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, with a range stretching from the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa to Japan, the Philippines, and Australia. It inhabits sandy or gravelly bottoms in shallow water areas and seagrass meadows, and can be found at depths down to approximately 36 metres (118 ft). It is often positioned partially submerged in sand.
