Shaggy Seahare
Bursatella leachii
Also known as: Bluedot Seahare, Feathery Seahare, Frilled Seahare, Furry Seahare, Hairy Seahare, Hirsute Seahare, Leach's Seahare, Nudibranch, Ragged Seahare
- Bluedot Seahare
- Feathery Seahare
- Frilled Seahare
- Furry Seahare
- Hairy Seahare
- Hirsute Seahare
- Leach's Seahare
- Nudibranch
- Ragged Seahare
Overview
Found singly, pairs or groups, over estuaries and in tide-pools of coastal areas.
When predators come to close they will discharge a purple fluid to warn them off.
Opisthobranchia - Nudibranchs - Sea Slugs meaning "naked gills" are molluscs without a hard shell.
All opisthobranchs are hermaphrodites.
These beautiful slugs are usually brilliantly coloured and this in itself can act as a deterrent against predators. Some sea slugs secrete acid from stinging cells in their tentacles while others secrete acid from cells in their mantle.
Nudibranchs are slow moving, can swim or be propelled along either by muscular contraction or by millions of tiny hairs on the bottom of a fleshy 'foot', they have a voracious appetite and feed with a rasp like tongue.
Nudibranch lay their eggs in a ribbon effect on the sand, in different colours depending on species.
How to identify
Habitat & where to find it
- Range · Circumtropical
- Exact location · 4
- Country only · 1
Found singly, pairs or groups, over estuaries and in tide-pools of coastal areas.
Adult photos 5
Discussion
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Deep dive
Taxonomy
- familyAplysioidea
- genusBursatella
- speciesBursatella leachii Blainville, 1817
SourcesWoRMSSea Slug Forum