Sooty Sea Hare (Aplysia brasiliana)

Species > Sooty Sea Hare

The Sooty sea hare, sometimes called slug, is the most commonly encountered of the sea hare species in Florida. This graceful, surface swimming slug is usually encountered near the shore around sea grass beds, beaches, seawalls or near dock pilings feeding on algae.

This species is actually a soft-bodied mollusk (they have a small shell inside their body) that can reach 8 to 10 inches. The sea hare pictured above was about 8 inches long swimming around the pilings of a dock in Naples. Notice in the picture the bulbous sack in the center of its wings? This sack contains a purple ink-like substance that is excreted as a cloud when in danger, confusing predators with a smoke cloud. The ink is not poisonous but does contain a toxin that can harm small fish if concentrated. Sea hare vary in color based on the color of the algae they consume.

This slimy species is not a food fish because the same toxin contained in the ink sack is also in its skin, although we have heard the Chinese, Japanese and Hawaiians prepare meals with this slug. How about using a sea hare for bait? We don't recommend it since they are not abundant, have slippery slimy skin and we doubt they would attract many fish! How about putting one in your aquarium? Not recommended because they only eat algae and usually starve to death once all the algae is gone in your fish tank. Lets just say, leave the sea hare alone and enjoy their beauty as they pass you by.

Sea Hare Trains? Sea hares are hermaphrodites (both male and female) so when mating they often create long chains like a train with each sea hare releasing sperm to the animal ahead of it, while receiving sperm from the sea hare behind it. That would be a sight to see!

Sea Hare Swimming off Sanibel Island