Is this a sea slug?

May 26, 2000
From: Gary Ouellette


Sir,

Is this some type of sea slug? I found it hanging from an old ship hull wreck in the Nisqually Delta Basin, Nisqually, Washington, USA.

It was hanging down over 8 inches before I touched it and it started to curl up.

Thanks for your help.

Gary Ouellette
Sergeant Major, US Army
Fort Lewis, WA
USA

ouellettegj@home.com

Ouellette, G., 2000 (May 26) Is this a sea slug?. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2442

Dear Gary,
Did it squirt out some water when you touched it. I am pretty sure that your animal is an ascidian or Sea Squirt, quite unrelated to slugs. It seems to be attached to the rock at one end and has a pair of openings at the free end at the bottom of your photo.

I have posted a page on ascidians. Have a look at it for some background information. In that you will see that some ascidians are solitary animals and others live in sponge-like colonies. If I am right, your animal is one of the solitary species.

Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.

Rudman, W.B., 2000 (May 26). Comment on Is this a sea slug? by Gary Ouellette. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2442

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