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Life Cycle Spawning occurs mostly from June to August and is accomplished by shedding sperm and eggs into the water where fertilization takes place. During this shedding, sea cucumbers adopt a "cobralike" posture, with the front end elevated off the bottom. The fertilized eggs develop into larvae which may spend 70 days as plankton suspended in the water before settling on the bottom and changing into miniature, juvenile sea cucumbers. Juveniles are very secretive and hide among sea weed, under stones, and in crevices. Growth is thought to be slow, requiring at least four to five years for adult size of 0. 5 kg to be reached. Their life span may be more than eight years.
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