Angel Of The Sea: A Spectacular Inhabitant Of Antarctica
The icy ocean waters that bathe the South Pole are home to a spectacular diversity of marine life. The adaptations of animals to cold throughout evolution gave rise to beings as beautiful as the species Antarctic clone , known in English as “ sea angel ” .
Despite its tiny size, this animal, situated at the beginning of the food chain, has a spectacular defensive strategy. Although it is not a popularly known species, scientists have been very attracted to it, its way of life, locomotion and food. Next, we’ll talk more about the species Antarctic clone.
Clione antarctica: features
Antarctic clone is a marine slug, a gastropod mollusk of the Clionidae family . With a length between 1 and 3 centimeters, this small animal plays a fundamental role in the food chain.
Its body is transparent, which allows you to observe its digestive tract, which has a very striking orange color. One of the most outstanding features of this mollusk is that it has a pair of wings on both sides of its mouth.
In fact, these wings are nothing more than a modification of the foot – which normally allows the snails to move – in order to be able to live in the open sea. The mouth of this animal is surrounded by tentacles that facilitate the difficult task of hunting, keeping its prey and preventing it from escaping.
Sea angels are hermaphrodite animals and lay eggs that are cast into the open sea where, after several days, they hatch as very small larvae. They have 2 key breeding moments, one in spring and one in summer.
Sea angel habitat
The sea angel lives in the cold, polar waters of the southern hemisphere. In the past, it was believed that another species of sea angel, called Clone Limacine, had a bipolar distribution, but they are now known to be two distinct species.
It is a pelagic animal, that is, it lives in the water column that is not found on the continental crust, which is known as the open sea. Within this water column, the species Antarctic clone it has a superficial or medium location, that is, it is an epipelagic or mesopelagic organism.
The pelagic animals are between 0 and 200 meters deep, live in the area of the water column where light reaches without problems and the photosynthesis of small algae is possible.
On the other hand, the mesopelagic zone comprises from 200 meters up to 1000 meters approximately. It is a dark place and it is not possible to carry out photosynthesis under these conditions.
Antarctic Clione Feeding
The sea angel ( Clone Limacine ) — and in general all species belonging to this genus — play very important roles within the ecosystem in which they inhabit.
The unique food of the sea angel is Limacina antarctica , a species of marine snail with a shell and wings. What makes this animal survive in these cold waters is its ability to retain lipids from the prey it captures.
In fact, this invertebrate is able to survive for about 6 months without food. Although your movement becomes slower, it is exactly the time you need to get through the coldest times.
Defense of the sea angel
Despite being part of zooplankton, this animal does not have many predators. This is because it is capable of synthesizing a type of fish-deterring substance called pteroenone.
This chemical compound prevents fish from getting close to these animals. Its main predator is the jellyfish Diplulmaris antarctica, also a small inhabitant of the Southern Ocean.
As we have seen, although it is not a very popular animal, the sea angel is a species of slug that is well known in scientific circles. However, it was not possible to discover its conservation status or how this species may be affected by climate change.
