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 Gastropoda - Sea Hare &
Nudibranchs
The sea hare and nudibranchs have a reduced shell inside
of their bodies. Sea hares can reach a length up to one foot
and normally feed on various types of seaweed. Their multi stomach
digestive system enables them to also feed on anemones without
being effected by the anemone's stinging cells.
The sea hare has occasionally been called the "ink fish"
because when disturbed, it can emit a deep purple ink. This harmless
ink is a defense mechanism for the sea hare as it can cause confusion
to predators and also make the sea hare bad tasting. The emission
of the purple ink is shown below.
Sea Hare - Aplysia californica
The Black Sea Hare has a rough textured skin. Some species
can obtain a length of thirty inches and weigh as much as thirty-five
pounds. Though they are mainly found in kelp beds offshore, occasionally
you may find one in a low intertidal pool.
It has been suggested that their foul taste serves to protect
them from being eaten by larger animals. If young sea hares were
not eaten by predators, they would be among the most common of
all animals in the sea. It can lay millions of eggs in a single
sitting and may produce nearly a billion eggs during one season.
Black Sea Hare - Aplysia vaccaria
Spotted Sea Hare - Aplysia dactylomeda
Sea Hares Eggs
Most nudibranchs are beautiful and use warning coloration
to distract predators. These very colorful creatures look poisonous
to other because of their bright coloring. Nudibranchs are the
only predators to be able to eat other nudibranchs. They acquire
cnidocytes (stinging cells) when eating each other and later
use them for their own defense by placing them on their dorsal
surface.
Nudibranch - name?
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