Sea Slugs

Sea slugs are some of the most colorful animals in the ocean. They are soft-bodied creatures related to snails, but they have no shell. Sea slugs come in every color you can think of. Scientists have found thousands of different kinds all over the world.

Amazing Colors

Many sea slugs are bright pink, yellow, blue, or orange. Some look like fancy dancers with frills all over their bodies. These bright colors often warn predators that the sea slug tastes bad or is toxic. The most colorful kind of sea slug is called a nudibranch. The word nudibranch means naked gills.

Clever Tricks

Sea slugs have some amazing abilities. Some eat stinging cells from jellyfish and use them for their own defense. Others steal tiny plant parts from algae and use them to make food from sunlight. Most sea slugs are small, only an inch or two long. But some can grow as big as a football.

Fun Facts

• There are over 3,000 kinds of sea slugs.
• Some sea slugs can swim by flapping their bodies like wings.
• Sea slugs have poor eyesight but great senses of smell and taste.

Did You Know?

One kind of sea slug called the leaf sheep looks just like a tiny cartoon sheep. It is green and has little round eyes and ears.