Aplysia vaccaria, also known as the "black sea hare," and the "California black sea hare," is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of extremely large sea slug

Slug

Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...

, a marine

Marine (ocean)

Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...

, opisthobranch, gastropod mollusk in the family Aplysiidae

Aplysiidae

The superfamily Aplysioidea is a superfamily of mostly rather large sea slugs, marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Aplysiomorpha within the informal group Opisthobranchia.This superfamily contains only one family, the Aplysiidae; the sea hares...

. It is the largest known species of sea slug, and may be the world's largest living gastropod. http://slugsite.us/bow/nudwk215.htm

Description

The black sea hare can grow to be very large. The longest recorded specimen measured ninety-nine centimeters when crawling (and thus fully extended), and weighed nearly fourteen kilograms. http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall.cfm?base=aplyvacc

Unlike Aplysia californica, the body of this species is relatively firm, and the parapodia are joined behind the siphon. http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall.cfm?base=aplyvacc

Unlike many other species in the same family, this species is incapable of producing ink.

Feeding habits

All Aplysia species are herbivorous. This species eats brown seaweed

Seaweed

Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...

s and kelp

Kelp

Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....

, which give the animal its typically very dark coloration.

External links

• Image of a diver holding a large individual of this species in a kelp forest: http://scottpenny.smugmug.com/gallery/3881249_R9eMK/2/224952333_hc6AB/Medium
• Image of one out of water: http://jpgmag.com/photos/1604801