Sea Hares

ocean creatures · molluscs · weird defense

Not actually hares. Sea hares are giant marine snails, not rabbits at all. They got their funny name because they have two long tentacles on their heads that look a bit like rabbit ears.

No hard shell. Unlike typical snails, sea hares have only a soft, flexible shell made of protein inside their bodies. This lets them squeeze into tight spaces on the ocean floor to hide from predators.

Purple ink cloud. When a sea hare feels threatened, it releases a vibrant purple ink into the water, which confuses attackers and helps the sea hare escape to safety.

Surprisingly huge. Some sea hares grow to be quite large, with soft bodies that can stretch to impressive sizes. They're gentle creatures that slowly crawl along the ocean bottom looking for food.