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#2
- copy; A. Valles, Aquarium of the Pacific
The California brown sea hare, a mollusk, is also called a sea slug. It is a marine snail that has an interior small remnant of a shell and no external shell. The common name, sea hare, is derived from the large anterior tentacles that are ear-like and were thought by some to resemble the ears of a hare. This species “inks”, that is, expels a thick cloud of purple ink.
Facts and Features
- Geographic Distribution
Most of the California coast and some areas of the Gulf of California
- Amazing Facts
The California black sea hare, Aplysia vaccaria, is the largest gastropod in the world. It can grow to be as long as 75 cm (29 in) in length with a weight of up to 13.6 kg (30 lb). Unlike the California brown sea hare, it does not eject ink.
- At the Aquarium
In keeping with their vegetarian diet in the wild, our sea hares are fed kelp and nori. They also graze on algae that grows naturally in their Aquarium habitat.