Aplysia brasiliana, 12 May 2005

Aplysia brasiliana, the Mottled seahare;
Brevard county, Florida (12 May 2005).

This is a Mottled seahare, a species of free swimming sea slug native to the western Atlantic Ocean. This species swims around looking for algae/seaweed to consume. As for myself, I had no idea what this was when I first saw it. I was standing on the deck at JB’s Fish Camp just south of New Smyrna Beach and spotted this seahare passing by in the waters of the Intracoastal Waterway. I snapped a few quick shots before it ducked down deeper into the water. Then I returned to my massive captain’s platter of fried seafood goodness. Heh. Every time I return to JB’s, I keep an eye out for another Mottle seahare. To date, this is the only one I’ve actually seen from the deck at JB’s Fish Camp. Dolphins and snowbirds are far more commonly observed there.