Although sea angels may look Christmassy and angelic, these tiny animals disguise a lethal secret, says Mel Hobson.
What are sea angels?
Sea angels (Clione sp.) are a sort of small, shell-less sea snail present in chilly and temperate waters all over the world. These little creatures develop to not more than 2cm lengthy and are usually discovered from the floor to depths of round 600 metres – though researchers at MBARI have seen these angelic critters at 1,805 metersdeep.
They’re named sea angels due to their tiny ‘wings’, which developed from amuscular foot (like we might recognise in a land snail). Monterey Bay Aquarium shared a mesmerising video of a sea angel fluttering by the water.
“The rhythmic flapping of its wings propels the ocean angel by the open ocean and provides it the looks of flying,” says Monterey Bay Aquarium on its web site. “While the swish actions of this swimming snail could make it appear to be an angel, it is actually a prowling predator.”
But when a sea angel finds its prey, it goes into assault mode. “It pushes out finger-like tentacles from its head that seize onto the prey, says Monterey Bay Aquarium, then “makes use of hook-like appendages to drag the prey out of its shell and into the ocean angel’s intestine. The complete course of can take from two to 45 minutes.”
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