Leaf sheep: The adorable solar-powered sea slug that looks like Shaun the Sheep

Leaf sheep: The adorable solar-powered sea slug that looks like Shaun the Sheep

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Woodworking Plans Banner

Pictures by a bank clerk with a passion for scuba diving shows a bright green sea slug grazing on tiny sea plants commonly known as algae just like the sheep we are so familiar with loves to munch on grass.

Could this undersea animal who appears like a green sheep be the prettiest mini-seabeast on earth?
(Image credit: Media Drum World/ Alamy Stock Photo)

Call: Leaf sheep, or leaf slug(Costasiella kuroshimae

Where it lives: Shallow waters throughout Asia and the Coral Triangle

What it consumes: Algae

Why its amazing: These small marine animals are most likely much better understood by their label, “Shaun the Sheep” sea slugs, since of their astonishing similarity to the renowned television character.

The cute animals have white faces, little shiners and 2 “ears.” These structures are unique organs called rhinophores covered in small hairs that assist the leaf sheep sense chemicals in the water and discover food. Their small bodies are covered with green structures called cerata, which appear like leaves and provide a bigger area for gas exchange.

Growing to 0.3 inches (8 millimeters) long, leaf sheep were very first found off Kuroshima Island, Japan, in 1993. They have actually likewise been tape-recorded in the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Shaun the Sheep sea slugs are discovered in shallow waters near reef. They reside on algae, which likewise supplies them with food.

Solar-powered sea slugs

When leaf sheep munch on algae, they soak up chloroplasts– unique structures where photosynthesis happens. These are filled with chlorophyll, and the green pigment offers the sea slugs’ bodies a leaf-like color. This not just assists them mix in with their environments to much better conceal from predators however likewise provides a creative method of producing food.

Get the world’s most interesting discoveries provided directly to your inbox.

Related: Blue dragon: The fatal sea slug that takes venom from its victim

The sea slugs take the chloroplasts through a procedure called kleptoplasty — from the Greek word for “thief” — and keep them in their tissues for approximately 10 days. The chloroplasts continue working inside the animals, allowing them to develop energy through photosynthesis.

“Imagine you ate a salad and kept the chloroplast from it in your digestive system, so you just need to put yourself under the sun to make food,” Miguel Azcunaassistant teacher of marine natural items chemistry at Batangas State University in the Philippines, informed the BBC “It’s convenient for survival.” Azcuna is a specialist in reef ecology.

Together with corals spotted salamanders and huge clamsthese solar-powered slugs are amongst the couple of animals that can photosynthesize.

Melissa Hobson is an independent author who focuses on marine science, preservation and sustainability, and especially likes blogging about the strange habits of marine animals. Melissa has actually worked for numerous marine preservation companies where she took in their understanding and enthusiasm for safeguarding the ocean. A licensed Rescue Diver, she gets her scuba repair any place possible however is excessive of a wimp to dive in the UK nowadays so tends to stay with tropical waters. Her writing has actually likewise appeared in National Geographic, the Guardian, the Sunday Times, New Scientist, VICE and more.

Many Popular

Learn more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Like

About the Author: tech