Like teams of vacuum cleaners, they clean seabed mud and ooze by swallowing large quantities of sediment, filtering out the organic matter, and leaving clean sand in their wake.
Tegutsedes otsekui kogum biofiltreid, puhastavad nad merepõhja vedelat muda, neelates suurtes kogustes setteid, kurnates välja orgaanilist ainet ning jättes endast maha puhta liiva.