{"id":22869,"date":"2024-03-27T07:28:45","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T12:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=22869"},"modified":"2024-03-27T07:28:45","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T12:28:45","slug":"sea-hares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=22869","title":{"rendered":"Sea Hares"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UC#2<\/strong> was recently exploring the southern California coast with friends looking for Viking <\/strong>and Sumerian<\/strong> relics. No relics were found, but they came across some California black sea hares during low tide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Little Background….<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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About<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sea hare<\/strong> is a marine snail, found in shallow water and occasionally in rockpools on the low shore. They feed on seaweed and it is thought that this is what gives each sea hare its colour,<\/em> e.g. green sea hares are eating green seaweeds like sea lettuce whilst the reddish-maroon sea hares are eating red seaweeds. Sea hares have an internal shell, which is around 4cm long and transparent. Like sea slugs, the sea hare is a hermaphrodite<\/em> and they sometimes mate in chains, with an individual acting as both male and female. They lay eggs in long pink threads, which are deposited on seaweed and look a bit like pink spaghetti.
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Did you know?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sea hares get their name from the upper pair of head tentacles that look like a hare’s ears!<\/p>\nWildlife Trusts<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Natural history<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

California sea hare eggs are encased in a protective sticky jelly, and look like masses of spaghetti noodles. A sea hare may lay up to eighty million eggs<\/em><\/strong>; its larvae hatch in 10-12 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The horn-like structures seen on the head of the sea hare are called rhinophores. (\u201cRhino<\/strong>\u201d means nose, \u201cphore\u201d means carrier.) Rhinophores allow these animals to pick up chemical cues in the water, such as those from other sea hares during mating season.<\/p>\nMonterey Bay Aquarium<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Cool facts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n