You Won’t Believe How Amazing This Sea Slug That Consumes Too Much Algae Looks

Is it a sea sheep? Or a sea calf, maybe? If you don’t think this creature you see in the picture looks like a sheep, well, its name is Costasiella kuroshimae, which means “Leaf Sheep”, quite literally! This adorable tiny sea slug with its beady eyes and cute feelers looks just like a cartoon sea sheep and feeds on algae just like the real animal! The tiny adorable species, which can grow up to 5mm in length and can be seen around Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines is astonishing since it is one of the world’s few water organisms that can do photosynthesis (the others are all members of the sacoglossa sea slug clade). When these peculiar organisms consume algae the chloroplasts are sucked out and incorporated into their bodies in a process called kleptoplasty. This process, which can only be carried out by single-celled creatures, successfully turns them into solar-powered slugs. Check out the photo of this adorable little creature below and tell us if you want to see it up close for yourself in real life as well!