Geographic Sea Hare

The fine, delicate patterns of the geographic sea hare resemble markings on a map, and are likely the reason for its name! Besides having tentacles on their head which resemble the ears of a hare, the geographic sea hare also possesses wing-like flaps known as parapodia. This curious creature swims by flapping these “wings”, like an underwater butterfly!

The geographic sea hare feeds on seaweeds growing in seagrass meadows. It also lays its eggs among seaweeds and seagrasses, leaving behind long, thread-like strings of pink! As this animal is seasonally common, huge numbers of it can sometimes be seen on our Northern shores, while none can be found at other times of the year.