Question 1: Today we’re spotlighting a sea angel in celebration of what special day dedicated to underwater creatures?
The given options are:
- Sea Slug Day
- Deep Blue Sea Day
- Algae Eaters Day
Correct Answer: Sea Slug Day
Fact: Sea angels are indeed a type of sea slug and today is Sea Slug Day, but there's more to it. It's actually the birthday of premier sea slug authority Terry Gosliner. Gosliner has identified over 1,000 sea slug species, written 150 scientific papers about them, and has personally named about 350 individual species.
Question 2: Sea angels are carnivores. What do they most commonly eat?
The given options are:
- Sea butterflies
- Plankton
- Sea cucumbers
Correct Answer: Sea butterflies
Fact: While a sea angel is a slug, a sea butterfly is a snail. The angel will attack and extract the butterfly from its shell. Sea butterflies are among the most abundant of the world's gastropods and play a large part in the food chain, not only just for sea angels. In fact, they're eaten by a wide variety of fish that are then eaten themselves by seabirds and marine mammals.
Question 3: What are the ‘ears’ of a sea slug really?
The given options are:
- Tufts
- Noses
- Whiskers
Correct Answer: Noses
Fact: Not so much ears as noses, rhinophores, known as chemosensors, allow sea slugs to smell and taste their surroundings. Chemicals that have dissolved in the water are detected by the hairs on the rhinophores. By sensing those chemicals, the sea slug knows how close a food source or potential mate might be.