Ever Heard of Sea Bunnies?

They are these very cute and equally toxic type of sea slugs. Recently I saw a meme about sea bunnies and it really brightened up my day. There wasn’t anything inspirational there – they were just cute and cuddly-looking (cuddling them probably won’t be a very good idea because of their toxicity), so I thought I’d share this with you. 😀

Here’s a cartoon I drew of a sea bunny (top) and an actual sea bunny (bottom). Can’t tell the difference, can you?

These sea slugs became an internet sensation in 2015, and I guess it’s pretty understandable why. Contrary to being called “bunnies” they move very slow much like their cousins, the slugs. Most of this species are less than an inch long, half the size a slug generally would be. They’re usually found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and are also known by the less-cute, more scientific name of Jorunna parva. Their origins are not very clear but they are said to have been sighted in and around the Philippines, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Réunion (an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar).

This slug has two bunny-like ears and a tail as well which, apart from making it look cute, helps it identify its surroundings. The ears are called “rhinophores” and the tail is its gills. Also, it absorbs toxins from its food and some of the toxins that they produce aid production of cancer treatments. Cute and helpful, what more could you want?

SERENE PALLEYGEDERA

Sources

National Geographic – 150723-sea-slug-nudibranch-sea-bunny-ocean-animals-science2) Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorunna_parva3) Answers.com – https://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_size_of_a_slug