Sea Sheep? This Adorable Sea Slug Eats So Much Algae It Can Photosynthesize
Leaf sheep are one of the strangest kinds of animals on the planet.
They look like a farm animal, act like a plant, and live in the sea!
The little sea slugs are technically animals, but like plants, they get most of their energy from the sun.
When leaf sheep eat algae, they suck out the chloroplasts and incorporate them into their own bodies in a process called kleptoplasty.
“This process, which otherwise can only be performed by single-celled organisms, essentially makes them solar-powered slugs!” Bored Panda notes.
The funny little creatures have the face of a cow or sheep, but a back that looks like a house plant.
They’re only about 5 mm long and can be found in shallow marine waters in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.