Aquatic Pulse

Aquatic Pulse is a blog designed to help aquarium enthusiasts learn more about aquatic life

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Sea bunnies - The current craze

Looking for a new aquatic pet? This is currently the craze in Japan:



Sea bunnies aka Jorunna parva are less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) long and can be found throughout the Indo-Pacific Ocean from South Africa to the central Pacific. Like all the sea slugs in the group containing J. parva, called the dorid nudibranchs, the sea bunny eat sponges.

Jorunna parva's fur-like coat is due to bunches of tiny rods, called caryophyllidia, that cover the animal's back. They're arranged around little knobs that are sometimes black, giving the sea bunny its speckled appearance.

The sea bunny, aka sea slugs - nudibranchs, is a hermaphrodite. They have both male and female reproductive organs - Meaning when they mate they both exchange sperm and fertilize an egg.

The cuddly-looking creatures come armed with "incredibly long copulatory spines," says Valdés. The copulatory spines essentially the same thing as a dart with snails - Consider it to be a spear that pierces the partner during the mating process. This allows it to stay attached while the exchange of sperm takes place.
Sea bunnies don't have many predators as they're considered vdery toxic. They get their toxicity from the food it eats - Sponges.  Some of their toxins are also used in cancer treatments for people

And yes the do come in different colours. In fact, they're likely to be found in different colours than the popularized white ones.

Source: Sea Bunnies: Japan Is Going Crazy About These Furry Sea Slugs | Bored Panda
National Geographic - Sea slug nudibrach sea bunny ocean animales

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