Sea bunnies and sheep are arguably my favorite aquatic creatures to date because of how adorable they are. Albeit the names for these animals are misnomers because they are a slug species—neither bunnies nor sheep—the names more accurately portray how they almost resemble their respective animals. The sea sheep has these chloroplast-filled leaf-life appendages which kind of look like puffy wool. On the flip side, the sea bunny is self-explanatory, since it closely resembles a bunny with its white exterior and iconic ears. Allow me to get into the nitty-gritty details of the unique properties of these cute sea creatures.

Costasiella kuroshimae, AKA sea slugs or ‘sea sheep,’ is a type of gastropod mollusk with the unique ability to indirectly perform photosynthesis through a process known as kleptoplasty. This can be explained through the eating habits and anatomy of the sea sheep. The elongated purple ear-like structures of the sea sheep are called rhinophores, which are sensory organs. The rhinophores act as chemical sensors with tiny hairs on the organs to help detect surrounding chemical compounds for food. The main food source of a leaf sheep, algae, is what gives its unique properties and vibrant green colors. Kleptoplasty is the incorporation of chloroplasts into the leaf sheep’s cells, so when leaf sheep eat algae, they absorb the chloroplasts to undergo kleptoplasty and use the additional energy harness from chloroplasts. A fun fact about sea sheep is that the chloroplasts they consume make them bioluminescent and they glow in the sea.

Jorunna parva, AKA sea bunnies, are also a type of gastropod mollusk that comes from the nudibranch species. Much like the sea sheep, sea bunnies have a unique property that is manifested through the sources of food they eat. In addition, what looks like ears on the sea bunny are the rhinophores used for sensing chemical compounds in the water.  Sea bunnies are incredibly toxic because they absorb toxins from their main source of food, sea sponges. Despite how cute and soft the sea bunnies may seem, you should be wary of touching this creature because of their toxicity.

All in all, these sea slugs are interesting in both the way they look and the mechanisms they use to thrive underwater. So, I thought to share these neat sea creatures with you.