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In Hawaii, sea hares, or kualakai, are typically cooked in an imu wrapped in ti leaves. [citation needed] Aplysia californica is a species of sea hare noteworthy for its use in studies of the neurobiology of learning and memory, due to its unusually large axons. It is especially associated with the work of Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel. [11]
Sea hares form their toxins from compounds they receive from their foods. [7] This is significant because the type of algae the sea hare eats determines the toxins it produces. [ 6 ] A. vaccaria primarily feeds on brown algae, so its toxins are derived from this source and are distinct from sea hares such as A. californica , which feeds on red ...
When the sea hare feels threatened it immediately begins the process of defending itself by mixing the distinct molecules in an additional part of the body used specifically for that purpose. At which point, enzymes within the sea slug begin the process of making the substance toxic, and the mixture is ejected out at the predator in self-defense.
The Florida Oceanographic Society says that because of their extensive neural circuits -- interconnecting neurons in the brain that pass messages -- sea hares are often utilized in medical research.
Aplysiidae is the only family in the superfamily Aplysioidea, within the clade Anaspidea. [1] These animals are commonly called sea hares because, unlike most sea slugs, they are often quite large, and when they are underwater, their rounded body shape and the long rhinophores on their heads mean that their overall shape resembles that of a sitting rabbit or hare.
Like all sea hares, the California sea hare is hermaphroditic, simultaneously acting as male and female during mating. A. californica is known to form mating chains with up to 20 animals. The eggs are yellow-green, and change after 8–9 days into a brown color before larvae hatch. Mating is most prominent during the summer following water ...
The large black rings are very apparent on this juvenile spotted sea hare Aplysia dactylomela taken out of water. The colour of the spotted sea hare is very variable, from pale gray to green, to dark brown. There are almost always large black rings on the mantle. The maximum recorded length is 410 mm. [4]
These sea hares also secrete a sort of ink. The ink takes on a purple hue, a result of eating red algae. It is believed to be non-toxic, though is assumed that the ink is secreted as a result of a sort of physical "assault" on the sea hare. Egg masses appear as a long, pale cream mass. They are somewhat noodle-like in appearance.