Undoubtedly you may have heard about the transparent, heavenly sea angels. With their flapping wings and strange glow, they are the exact picture of Angels in the deep. When I was younger, I would stay at this specific tank at an aquarium, staring at these tiny creatures that only measured up to 1.2~3 cm. (Some in colder waters can be around 5-7cm.) But what, exactly, are they?
Clione limacina:
Okay, wait for the bomb to explode in three, two, one…These sea angels, specifically common cliones, are a kind of sea slugs. Yes, that’s right. Sea slugs. Oh, well. Nevermind how crushed I was at this information. Despite what they are, they are quite delightful to see.
Clione limacina dwell in the depths greater than 500m under the surface of the Arctic Ocean and cold regions of the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans. (Of course, other kinds of sea angels are found elsewhere, widely distributed across the oceans.)
Now, prepare yourselves even further for the final astounding revelation. Sea angels’ diet consists mostly of their fellow pteropods, the sea butterflies. Some of the species of sea angels only focus on 1-2 species of sea butterflies, or small swimming sea snails, sometimes ambushing their prey, sometimes lying in wait of them. Behind the flowing gelatinous facade, these sea angels are really angels of death to the sea butterflies.
The lifecycle of a clione limacina is usually around 2 years. It is a hermaphrodite, meaning they have both genders. Laying eggs to clear jello-like floating eggs, they connect the life to even tinier versions of themselves with minuscule shells on their backs. After a few days, they transfigure and shed their shells, completing the transformation into their original selves.
It is obvious, despite the sad array of events that turned sea angles into carnivorous floating beings (no more than sea slugs with terrible eating mannerisms), I still quite enjoy them. Perhaps this is why so many sea butterflies are lured to their presence (or pursued, in some cases), only to be direly disappointed. Sea Angels are really the fallen angels of the deep. The wonder never wears off.
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