Slug? in Sargasso sea weed

June 12, 2002
From: Carrie O'Sullivan

I am just a mom with a child who is incredibly curious about nature. We were looking for creatures in Sargasso sea weed which was washing up at Galveston Island, Texas last week. We think some of the creatures we found were some kind of nudibranch. They were about 1 inch long and were colored yellow-orchre and light brown with bright blue flecks on them. They had several wavy appendages along the bottom side of their bodies. Would you know if these are some kind of sea slug?
Thanks for your help,
Carrie O'Sullivan

co'sullivan@weingarten.com

O'Sullivan, C., 2002 (Jun 12) Slug? in Sargasso sea weed . [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7205

Dear Carrie,
Surely not 'just a mom' - I think it was Ghandi who said if you teach a man you teach one person but if you teach a mother you teach a family.

Your animal is almost certainly the nudibranch Scyllaea pelagica which is only found living amongst floating brown sea weeds. If you look at the other messages on this page you will find three with beautiful photos by Anne DuPont of this fascinating species.
Best wishes,
Bill Rudman

Rudman, W.B., 2002 (Jun 12). Comment on Slug? in Sargasso sea weed by Carrie O'Sullivan. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/7205

Factsheet

Scyllaea pelagica

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