California Seahare
Aplysia californica
This sea hare lives from the California coast to the Gulf of California. Its color varies with the algae it eats.[3]
Appearance
It has four tentacles on its head. The folded flaps along its sides cover the gills while allowing water to pass. Its color ranges from reddish brown to greenish brown.[3]
Life
It mainly eats algae.[3]
In feeding trials with 18 animals, bites lasted longer in individuals with larger buccal masses. Bite duration increased approximately with the 0.3 power of buccal-mass weight.[2]
Places
Native range · California coast to the Gulf of California[3]
It occurs in the northeastern Pacific, from the California coast to the Gulf of California in northwestern Mexico.
Sources
- Catalogue of Life 2026-09-25 XR
Catalogue of Life · 2026-10-13
- Scaling of buccal mass growth and muscle activation determine the duration of feeding behaviours in the marine mollusc Aplysia californica
Journal of Experimental Biology 227(17), jeb246551; Company of Biologists · 2026-10-25
- California sea hare — species description and range
Wikipedia · 2026-10-25