Sea Hares?

[scuba_katt]

Found a little critter on a dive in Sydney yesterday, in around 5 metres just munching away amongst the sand and kelp.

Had us puzzled for a while - thought it was some sort of seaslug on steroids!

While zooming around on the net tonite I've found what I think it is: a sea hare.

Here is a link that describes them and there's a few pictures of different coloured sea hares from the same genus.

http://www.seaslugforum.net/aplyjuli.htm

Now, I'd never seen one of these little critters before, does anyone else encounter them often? They're kind of cute (in my own, "everything underwater is soooo cute") kind of way.

 

[Scubaroo]

I've seen them in California a few times - big brown suckers. See their eggs more often than the actual slugs.

 

[scuberd]

they are all over the place in Southern California.

I don't think they ever stop growing, they just eat and get bigger till they die, cool animals

 

[neil]

The ones we have here in So. California are the same genus, aplysia californica, and they get HUGE. They can easily get to be over a foot long. When harassed they can ink.
Neil

 

[kelpmermaid]

Their egg masses look like spaghetti that has been left in the pot. I was never sure if they were called "hares" because of their appearance or their reproductive habits...

 

[caymaniac]

I saw one of those in Bonaire last year.

Caymaniac:mean:

 

[Nudibranch]

Aplysia californica is quite common in Southern CA but it doesn't get as big as its relative the black sea hare, Aplysia vaccaria, which can get to 30 inches long and about 35 lbs.
I thought they got the common name 'sea hare' from their large ear-like rhinopores.

 

[CJ's]

:doctor:
There are many different types of Sea Hare worldwide ranging from 3/4 of an inch up to the size of that Californian monster!

I believe the most common, or at least the most often seen by divers, is the Spotted Sea Hare (Aplysia dactylomela). I have seen these from the Cayman Islands to the Indo-Pacific and they can grow up to 1 ft.

Pretty impressive for a slug!

CJ.