David Rayner Photography

Sea Hare

SEA HARE (Aplysia punctata), FARO, PORTUGAL, April 2016
This gallery has been included mainly because the subject is such a strange animal. It was photographed at the Marina in Faro during our trip to the Algarve. Several people stopped to look at the creature but no one was able to say what it was. It was about 15-25 cm and propelled itself around close to the surface by a sort of gentle flapping movement with its ‘wings’. Further research has shown that it is a member of the sea slug family and that it is fairly common throughout the Mediterranean. If it is disturbed, it emits a discharge (please see photos 16-18).