Nudibranchs quite literally come in allshapes , sizes , andcolors , but most of late we ’ve been losing it over the pose body plan ofMelibe viridis , also known as the green melibe . Its elongate body is trace with viscous lobe that act a little like leg but also as decoys when under plan of attack , and it ’s easy to see how a predator could become disconnected when grappling with such a bizarre creature .
The leading gadget characteristic of green melibes is their unusual approach to feeding . They ’ve germinate to lose the radula method acting of feeding date in othersea slugs(which also sit within the nudibranchs ) and instead possess an oral veil . They cast the veil a scrap like a profit , and when tiny tomentum that line it hail across potential quarry , the oral veil contracts and trap its victim .
Animals scooped up by the green melibe ’s unwritten embryonic membrane are then reveal down and digested , after which it get back to alimentation . Quite the expert hunter , then , but as a squashy seabed - dwelling fauna it ’s also vulnerable to predation itself .
Here , the green melibe has evolved to commit a rather queer form of defense mechanism . The lobes that line its soundbox are very awkward , something which helps them to move through seagrass as they cleave onto substrate and shuffle along . Should a predator examine to prey on the green melibe , it can stick one of the lobes to its body before detach the appendage and escaping .
For this cause , it ’s advised that if you blot one of these ocean slugs while diving you should exit it alone as you do n’t want to cause them to drop off a lobe unnecessarily . prepare up another will take the weary ocean slug some time , and it ’s got scooping to do .
As for where you ’re probable to stumble across the ocean ’s vacuum cleaners , green melibes are found throughout the tropical Indo - West Pacific , and parts of the Mediterranean . They ’re pretty low ( 13 centimeters/5 inches ) so you do n’t need to worry about getting take up up in their bag head , you’re able to simply look on in horrified wonder as they bag up the seafloor like a midget leatherneck takeaway .
