Stars don't eat slugs
July 11, 2007
From: Jan Kocian
Another story from slug life on Whidbey Island. I was taking picture of Aeolidia papillosa when I saw a big starfish - Pycnopodia helianthoides - speeding down the piling in its usual arrogant manner. So I backed off and enjoyed the unfolding drama. When the star reached the slug, it stopped dead in the water, raising its arm and very gingerly probed the slug, it didn't look like it even touched. The slug completely ignored all the commotion behind it, waving arms and towering beast known as a voracious eater of almost everything.. Slugs are clearly not part of the indiscriminate diet of Pycnopodia helianthoides. I really enjoyed seeing the sea star slinking away sideways over much more inconvenient terrain. Another point for slugs !
Locality: Whidbey Island, Puget Sound, 10 feet, Washington, USA, Eastern Pacific Ocean, 07 February 2007, seawall pilings. Length: 45mm. Photographer: Jan Kocian.
Jan Kocian
honkoc@hotmail.com
Kocian, J., 2007 (Jul 11) Stars don't eat slugs. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/19418
Thanks Jan,
Your Aeolidia is certainly made of sterner stuff than Jackie's dorid [message #20125]
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman
Related messages
-
Aeolidia papillosa from French Atlantic
From: Marina Poddubetskaia Ossokine, August 17, 2009 -
Re: Aeolidia papillosa spawn
From: Jackie Hildering, August 1, 2008 -
Re: Aeolidia papillosa spawn
From: Jackie Hildering, August 1, 2008 -
Aeolidia papillosa from British Columbia
From: Marli Wakeling, March 26, 2007 -
Aeolidia papillosa? from southern Oregon
From: Sandy Grummon, March 1, 2007 -
Large Aeolidia papillosa from Puget Sound
From: Richard Zade, February 8, 2007 -
Juvenile Aeolidia papillosa?
From: Carmelita Hansen, May 11, 2006 -
Aeolidia papillosa - Mating and Feeding
From: Philipp Kauffmann, May 24, 2005 -
Aeolidia papillosa from Puget Sound, Washington
From: Tom Hankins, February 22, 2005 -
Aeolidia papillosa vs Flabellina salmonacea
From: Mary Jo Adams, January 29, 2004 -
Aeolidia papillosa - mating
From: Richard Lord, August 29, 2003 -
Aeolidia papillosa feeding
From: Alan Shepard, August 23, 2003 -
Re: Information about Aeolidia papillosa
From: Peter H. van Bragt, November 4, 2002 -
Information about Aeolidia papillosa
From: Moria Eggers, October 30, 2002 -
Aeolidia papillosa feeding
From: Andy Horton, September 30, 1999 -
Aeolidia papillosa spawn
From: Andy Horton, September 29, 1999 -
Albino Aeolidia papillosa
From: Irina Roginskaya, September 18, 1999 -
Aeolidia papillosa from the White Sea
From: Irina Roginskaya, September 8, 1999 -
Colour variation in Aeolidia papillosa
From: Betsey Hansen, September 5, 1999 -
Aeolidia papillosa - Feeding & breeding
From: Betsey Hansen, September 3, 1999 -
Aeolidia papillosa from the Netherlands
From: Peter H. van Bragt, September 2, 1999 -
Aeolidia papillosa from New York
From: Betsey Hansen, September 2, 1999