Range: Tropical and temperate oceans worldwide Habitat: Coastal marine waters Size: About inch (2.54cm) long Diet: Sponges Threats: Nudibranchs and cone snails Life span: One year or less

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing sea bunnies. Equipped with bunny ear-like appendages and a bunny tail-like floof, it’s no wonder these teeny sea slugs have won over the heart’s of many internet users. One species in particular is referred to as the sea bunny, however, many of the other members of that genus look hippity hoppity as well, so we’ll include all of them in this episode because, hey, the more cuteness the better, right? Though… I gotta say, there is one member of this genus who is commonly called the funeral nudibranch, so basically it’s like… death… bunny… slug??

Also, there are sea slugs that might look similar to sea bunnies, but aren’t part of the same genus. Honestly, as is usually the case, sea slug classification is ever changing. In fact, there might even be more than the 20 or so currently accepted species of sea bunnies which means there could be more cuteness to discover!

Sea bunnies stay in coastal areas and they’re almost always found on or near their food and they often match the appearance of the animals they eat. They’ve been seen in tropical and temperate oceans around the world. Sea bunnies most commonly known as the sea bunny are often depicted in their white and black coloration, but they come in yellow, too. Other sea slugs from the same genus may appear rather similar, like the aforementioned funeral sea slug, or they can look vastly different; however, all sea bunnies have little stalky things like the ones on the sea bunny that end in spots. These are used for sensing their surrounding environment.

The “ears” of sea bunnies are called rhinophores and are also used to sense the surrounding environment. The “tail” is the sea bunny’s gills and in this genus those gills are retractable. That’s not the only thing they’re able to retract. Like all sea slugs, sea bunnies are hermaphrodites. These guys specifically pierce each other with hook or harpoon-like projections. They only live for a year or less, so they have to make the best of the time they have. Both partners take part in spearing each other and they both lay eggs. Their eggs are in ribbony sheets and take about three weeks to hatch.

Though they look super huggable, they aren’t exactly the best snuggle buddies. Sea bunnies eat sponges which makes them toxic. This generally means other animals stay away from them. If they are attacked, sea bunnies may break off parts of their own mantle in order to distract and escape predators.

Predators to sea bunnies include other nudibranchs and cone snails, which we’ve talked about in a previous episode. And I know we mentioned earlier that these guys are teeny, but sometimes it’s difficult to truly express something’s size in photos. These sea slugs average about an inch (2.54cm) in length, so they could fit on Chester’s paw. They’re tiny. Adorable. And also sort of kind of deadly. What more could you ask for?!

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