Dangerous to dogs, yes, but what about to people?

April 13, 2005
From: John Vincent

Hello,
I have a question that has not been answered in the Forum. I live in Key Biscayne, Florida, and we tend to have a large population of sea hares. I have read in your Forum that the sea hare can be poisonous to dogs and to people that may eat them without properly cleaning them. My question, is, are they dangerous or poisonous to people (mainly children) if one was to pick up a sea hare, or play with it in the water, without any protection, such as gloves?

Thanks for the info, and your Forum is a great search tool. Keep up the great work.

An avid reader, and marine enthusiast,

John Vincent Gomez-Iglesias
Key Biscayne, Florida

JohnVincentGI@aol.com

Vincent, J., 2005 (Apr 13) Dangerous to dogs, yes, but what about to people?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13509

Dear John,
Species of Sea Hares are found throughout the world, often in large numbers. In Florida, the two common species are Aplysia brasiliana and Aplysia morio. The strange thing is that it is only the Western Australian species, Aplysia gigantea, which has been accused of poisoning dogs. There have been a few accounts of Dolabella auricularia causing food poisoning, but it is suspected that it the result of some posionous algae in the internal organs. In general, Sea Hares are quite harmless, and are often favourite items in 'touch tanks' for children in aquarium displays. In our litigious world I am sure if there was any evidence of them causing harm to kids, someone would have sued by now. I don't know how many I have picked up alive without gloves or how many students over the years I have been with who have picked them up, but except for the special cases mentioned above, I would have no hesitation in saying they are harmless.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2005 (Apr 13). Comment on Dangerous to dogs, yes, but what about to people? by John Vincent. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/13509

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