With a length of up to 99 centimeters and a weight of up to 14 kilograms, Aplysia vaccaria, also known as the California black sea hare, is the largest sea slug in the world. mυпdo.

I knew that slugs could get quite big, but I imagined they were as big and heavy as a medium-sized dog. On the other hand, Aplysia vaccaria is apparently rarer, even if you live near its more limited habitat (off the coast of California and the Gulf of California), since it only thrives in waters that are not too deep to lay eggs. Like most other butterfly slugs, these giant mollusks are herbivores, and brown algae and butterfly algae make up the majority of their diet. The color of the slug’s plants determines its own color, which is why it is black or dark brown, while other members of the Aplysia family are reddish or green.

In addition to its impressive size, the California hare, named for the two ear-like protuberances that grow from its head, is also known for its defense mechanisms. While its other relatives release the tita that entices predators and makes them lose their appetite, Aplysia vaccaria is unable to produce this substance. However, research has shown that this ability is the evolutionary product of the most advanced form of defense.

Aplysia vaccaria is capable of producing toxins from the compounds it receives from its foods and its diet determines the type of toxins it produces. Brown algae produce the acetoxiccrelide toxin, which the slug extracts and allows to acclimate to its tissue. Because acetoxychloride is highly toxic to fish, it can effectively deter predation.

Afortυпadameпte high levels of acetoxicreпυlide пo sυpoпeп υп danger to breeders, as Yoυtυber and television preseпtator Coyote Petersoп demonstrated υпears ago, cυaпdo caught υп mplar of medium size and holding it eп sυ maпo for the sake of myths, for the sake of the episode of Brave Wilderпess.

But the fact that humans can safely touch the sea slug Aplysia vaccaria means that most would actually want to. The sight of Coyote Peterso holding the black, slimy mollusk dismayed many people, many of the eaters who would approach him for all the money in the world. And if it were found, it was even a large specimen; It weighed around four kilograms.

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