Photo: Genny Anderson · Image source ·CC BY-SA 4.0
Animal profile · Mollusks · sea hare
California sea hare
Aplysia californica
The California sea hare is a large shell-less sea slug from the Pacific coast. Its long feelers resemble rabbit ears, giving sea hares their name.
Not a fish · an aquatic neighborWater
Saltwater
Sheltered rocky shores, tide pools, and shallow coastal waters.
Temperature
Range not established
A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not found; values are left unreported.
Size
Usually about 20 cm (8 in), up to 40 cm (16 in)
A large adult can be about as long as a school ruler
Lifespan
Not established in the wild
Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.
01 · Signature adaptation
What does it do?
It crawls with a muscular foot and can gather with other sea hares to mate. Chemical and tactile senses help it detect nearby animals and changes in the water.
02 · Home coordinates
Where does it live?
Pacific coast from Humboldt Bay, California, to the Gulf of California and Baja California, Mexico.
Regions: California coast · Baja California · Gulf of California
03 · The menu
What does it eat?
It grazes algae with a toothed radula and its food can influence its body color.
herbivore: red algae, sea lettuce, eelgrass.
04 · Remember this
Two wow facts
Rabbit-like feelers
The tentacles on its head look like rabbit ears, which inspired the common name sea hare.
Sources [1]
Color from food
Its reddish or greenish body color can reflect the algae it has been eating.
Sources [1]