Black-margined Nudibranch
Doriprismatica atromarginata
Sea bunny
Jorunna parva
About
The sea bunny is a tiny nudibranch, a shell-less sea slug, covered in soft bumps that make it look furry. Its black-and-white rhinophores, small sensory horns on its head, curve up like a pair of rabbit ears.
Also known as: jorunna parva, jorunna parva (baba, 1938), peppercorn velvet dorid, sea bunny slug, tiger dorid
How to tell it apart
Many small sea slugs share this furry, bumpy look. What sets the sea bunny apart is its pair of black-and-white, rabbit-ear-shaped rhinophores on its head.
Appearance
Its body is covered in papillae, small fleshy bumps used for sensing its surroundings, giving it a fuzzy, fur-like look. Its two rhinophores are black and white and shaped like rabbit ears, and its gills sit as a tuft near the rear of its body. Colour varies between individuals: some are yellow, some white, some green, and all forms carry black papillae scattered among the main body colour.
Habitat
It lives on the seafloor of tropical reefs across the Indo-Pacific, often clinging to submerged vegetation. It gathers in spots with plenty of food, staying low and close to the bottom rather than swimming in open water.
Did you know?
Photos of this sea slug went viral on Twitter in Japan in 2015 because of its uncanny resemblance to a rabbit.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
