Another mystery from Alaska
September 4, 2000
From: Michael Merkley
I found an unusual creature near Kodiak, Alaska and I am sending a picture to you because i don't know what it is and i can't identify it from any books. It is about six inches long and was found floating on the surface of the water in a bay. It had a jelly-fish-like body and was see through. It appeared that it had organs and a nervous system.
Its head looked like a jelly-fish in that it had a 'mouth' with tentacles around the outside (not visible in picture). It's underside had a foot like a slug, that ran the entire length of it's body and was about 1/2 inch wide. It had two 'ears' on it's head and six similar looking flippers on its tail, except the flippers on it tail had nerves in it.
Thank you so much for your time.
Michael.
bigmike535@juno.com
Merkley, M., 2000 (Sep 4) Another mystery from Alaska. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/2943Dear Michael,
I am not sure what the kite-shaped thing at the left-hand end of your photo is, but I am pretty sure this is the fascinating Melibe leonina which is found from Alaska to California. It is often found attached to kelp but is also found floating/swimming freely in coastal waters. Its jellyfish-like head is in fact a large fishing net used to catch the small shrimp-like crustacea (amphipods etc) that it eats.
I asked Bruce Wight if he could provide any photos to help identify your animal and he has kindly sent me some. Thanks very much Bruce. There are already photos of a couple of species from the tropical Indo-West Pacific already on the Forum [Melibe viridis and Melibe engeli].
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman.
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