earthen-bestiary: “ Sea Angel (gymnosomata) Sea angels are a part of the gastropod (sea slug) clade. Instead of having a sticky foot they have winglike appendages, and the entire shell is lost. The small, gelatinous creatures get to be about 5cm long...
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earthen-bestiary: “ Sea Angel (gymnosomata) Sea angels are a part of the gastropod (sea slug) clade. Instead of having a sticky foot they have winglike appendages, and the entire shell is lost. The small, gelatinous creatures get to be about 5cm long...
Zoom Info
earthen-bestiary: “ Sea Angel (gymnosomata) Sea angels are a part of the gastropod (sea slug) clade. Instead of having a sticky foot they have winglike appendages, and the entire shell is lost. The small, gelatinous creatures get to be about 5cm long...
Zoom Info
earthen-bestiary: “ Sea Angel (gymnosomata) Sea angels are a part of the gastropod (sea slug) clade. Instead of having a sticky foot they have winglike appendages, and the entire shell is lost. The small, gelatinous creatures get to be about 5cm long...
Zoom Info
earthen-bestiary: “ Sea Angel (gymnosomata) Sea angels are a part of the gastropod (sea slug) clade. Instead of having a sticky foot they have winglike appendages, and the entire shell is lost. The small, gelatinous creatures get to be about 5cm long...
Zoom Info

earthen-bestiary:

Sea Angel (gymnosomata)

Sea angels are a part of the gastropod (sea slug) clade. Instead of having a sticky foot they have winglike appendages, and the entire shell is lost. The small, gelatinous creatures get to be about 5cm long on average. The larger, polar versions synthesize a defensive metabolite called pteroenone to ward off predators. Other creatures take advantage of this and bring sea angels with them to ward off other predators. Sea angels are hermaphroditic, fertilizing internally, and release egg masses to float in the open ocean until they hatch. The first three pictures are sea angels as they normally appear, the bottom two pictures are sea angels when feeding.

!!! @oceank1ng

(via moreanimalia)

Source: yeens-human

nubbsgalore: “ this is a sea angel (clione limacina), photographed by alexander semenov swimming with its wing like fins in russia’s white sea. these translucent pteropods, measuring only a few centimeters in length, are actually sea snails sans...
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nubbsgalore: “ this is a sea angel (clione limacina), photographed by alexander semenov swimming with its wing like fins in russia’s white sea. these translucent pteropods, measuring only a few centimeters in length, are actually sea snails sans...
Zoom Info
nubbsgalore: “ this is a sea angel (clione limacina), photographed by alexander semenov swimming with its wing like fins in russia’s white sea. these translucent pteropods, measuring only a few centimeters in length, are actually sea snails sans...
Zoom Info
nubbsgalore: “ this is a sea angel (clione limacina), photographed by alexander semenov swimming with its wing like fins in russia’s white sea. these translucent pteropods, measuring only a few centimeters in length, are actually sea snails sans...
Zoom Info
nubbsgalore: “ this is a sea angel (clione limacina), photographed by alexander semenov swimming with its wing like fins in russia’s white sea. these translucent pteropods, measuring only a few centimeters in length, are actually sea snails sans...
Zoom Info

nubbsgalore:

this is a sea angel (clione limacina), photographed by alexander semenov swimming with its wing like fins in russia’s white sea. these translucent pteropods, measuring only a few centimeters in length, are actually sea snails sans shells. lacking this cumbersome but protective shell, sea angels instead synthesize bad tasting compounds that dissuade predators from eating them. (see also: bobtail squid and josh lambus’ work)

(via unbadgr)

Source: nubbsgalore