More swimming Sea Hares in Florida

April 22, 2010
From: Carol Geisen


My husband and I saw these interesting little creatures on April 16, 2010, in Estero Bay at Fort Myers Beach, Florida. They varied in length from about 3 inches to 9 inches. A woman scooped one out of the bay in a pitcher and it proceeded to spray pink/purple ink. I thought it was a sea slug because I had, unfortunately, seen them washed up on the beach before, only those were more pink in color, and I had never seen one swim before.

Locality: Estero Island/Bay, Fort Myers Beach, surface, Florida, USA, Gulf of Mexico, 16 April 2010, sandy bottomed no wake zone of Estero Bay at a marina. Length: 3 - 9 inches. Photographer: Carol Geisen.

Is this a "Sea Hare"? Do they all swim?

Thank you for your input. I love your web site.

Carol Geisen

cegeisen@yahoo.com

Geisen, C. E., 2010 (Apr 22) More swimming Sea Hares in Florida. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23554

Dear Carol,

Yes this is a Sea Hare. It is Aplysia brasiliana. have a look at the Fact Sheet on Sea Hare swimming. Not all species swim. As a general rule of thumb only those in which the parapodial flaps are separate at the back end of the body have enough 'flap' to enable swimming.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2010 (Apr 22). Comment on More swimming Sea Hares in Florida by Carol Geisen. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/23554

Factsheet

Aplysia brasiliana

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