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SEA SLUGS:
Most of these “slugs” are actually snails that have lost their shells and gained new characteristics through evolution. For example, sacoglossans are sometimes called “solar-powered sea slugs” because they use chloroplasts from the algae they eat in their own tissue.
Sea Sheep - Costasiella Kuroshimae
The cutest sea slug ever
Jorunna parva, a sea slug that looks like a fluffy bunny.
See more Sea Bunnies at the bottom of this page.
And these are the 'aliens' ...
Blue Angel - Glaucus Atlanticus
It’s a sheep! It’s a cow! No, it’s Costasiella kuroshimae (or ‘Leaf Sheep’ for short). This adorable little sea slug, whose beady eyes and cute feelers make it look like a cartoon sheep, feeds on algae – just like the real thing!
What’s fascinating about the tiny ‘leaf sheep,’ which can grow up to 5mm in length and can be found near Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, is that they are one of the only animals in the world that can perform photosynthesis (the others all belong to the sacoglossa sea slug clade).
When they eat algae, they suck out the chloroplasts and incorporate them into their own bodies in a process called kleptoplasty. This process, which otherwise can only be performed by single-celled organisms, essentially makes them solar-powered slugs!
See more Sea Sheep at the bottom of this page.
And here meet the Sea Bunny:
Jorunna parva, a sea slug that looks like a fluffy bunny.
This tiny sea slug’s bunny ears are actually rhinophores, or chemosensory scent/taste organs that help them detect chemicals in the water and make their way across the ocean floor. They can be found from the Indian Ocean to the Philippines to Japan, where photos of them have become popular.
See more Sea Bunnies at the bottom of this page.
And these are the 'aliens' ...
Blue Angel - Glaucus Atlanticus
Cyerce Nigricans
As you admire these wonderful creatures please think of how we humans use habitat-destructive fishing gear, and treat the ocean as a garbage dump, disposing of toxic chemicals, radioactive substances, and plastic into it.
We seem oblivious of the fact that the ocean is a world filled with living things that have at least as much right to life as we do, no matter what their size.
Phyllodesmium Poindimiei
Hypseledoris Apolegma
Janolus Barbarensis
Leaf Slug - Elysia Chlorotica
Hypsedoloris Kanga
Janolus Fuscus
Cadlinella Ornatissima
Flabellina Iodinea
Chromodoris Alius
Lettuce Sea Slug - Elysia Crispata
Dirona Albolineata
More photos of Sea Sheep
- Costasiella Kuroshimae
And these are the adorable Sea Bunnies:
Sources:
http://www.boredpanda.com/sea-slugs/
http://www.boredpanda.com/leaf-sheep-sea-slug-costasiella-kuroshimae/
http://www.boredpanda.com/cute-bunny-sea-slug-jorunna-parva/
Destructive fishing practices:
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/problems/problems_fishing/destructive_fishing/
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