Sean Sheldrake - May 8, 2013
As a research diver for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one of my jobs is to make sure that people and companies working in the fish industry don’t dump too much waste in the ocean...
Daniel Botkin - May 2, 2013
Editor's note: This is an excerpt from Daniel Botkin's new book The Moon in the Nautilus Shell: Discordant Harmonies Reconsidered. He will be in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 8th for a...
Emily Frost - Apr 23, 2013
Even if you aren't a hardcore birder, chances are you have some hidden love for penguins. These flightless birds have captured our hearts through countless movies, beautiful images and their...
Hannah Waters - Apr 22, 2013
Sometimes I think that our planet Earth, named for the Old English word for “dry land” (eorthe), should get a new name. Despite our knowledge that more than 70% of the planet’s surface is ocean—...
For Eductors
Throughout the site, check out
‘For Educators’ on the left side of the page. There you will find lesson plans, activities, and resources related to the page topic.
Browse all Educator materials by clicking here:
© 2004 Smithsonian Institution
The lettuce sea slug (Elysia crispata) has enlarged fleshy appendages that are folded over one another, with colors ranging from blue to green, with purple and red lining. The green coloring is what gives this mollusk it's common name, resembling a head of leafy green lettuce. The sea slug eats green algae, but not all of the algae they eat is digested. Some of the green algae gets shuttled off to make a home in those fleshy appendages (called parapodia). The algae's chloroplasts, which convert sunlight into energy, can then live in the parapodia for up to...
TAGS: Commensalism, Nudibranchs
