#limapontioidea

A sea slug (Hermaea bifida) off the coast of the Netherlands

Costasiella kuroshimae (Leaf sheep, leaf slug)

Discovered in 1993 off the coast of the Japanese island Kuroshima. Leaf sheep are only about a fourth of an inch, or a little over 5 mm long.

Leaf sheep have rhinophores on their heads that look like the ears of a sheep in perspective to their faces. The leaf sheep’s rhinophores have fine hairs that sense chemicals in the water, enabling them to find food sources.

Leaf sheep’s primary diet is sea algae. When they consume it, they suck the chloroplasts out of the algae in a process called kleptoplasty. This process then enables them to photosynthesize. This is why leaf sheep glow. In other words, they are bioluminescent.

While some scientists believe that kleptoplasty can add to longevity in sacoglossans, the truth is – we don’t know how long leaf sheep live.