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Sooty Sea Hare
Aplysia brasiliana
27.2756, -82.5562
Field Notes
Description:
hey are robust, soft-bodied mollusks that reach 8 - 10 inches in length. Body color is variable, but typically ranges from red-brown or red-purple to lighter shades of brown. Mottled white to yellowish splotches and spots cover the body surface. A pair of lateral, wing-like parapodia is used for swimming. Tentacle-like rhinophores, located on top of head, originate directly behind the eyes. Oral tentacles flare laterally at the terminal mouth. A flattened internal shell, partially embedded in the mantle, is visible along the dorsal surface over the visceral mass. Eye is small and dark, with the area around the eye generally white. (Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, Florida)
Habitat:
Sooty sea hares are commonly found in seagrass meadows, as well as on sandy or muddy substrates. They also occur near rock jetties, pilings and mangrove creeks, where they feed on algae and bacterial films. (Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, Florida)
Notes:
I hope I have correctly identified this Sooty Sea Hare's Scientific name. My boyfriend rescued this one from some sea weed that had washed up on shore.
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