9 . Sea hare – Aplysia punctata
They squirt crabs that attack them with noxious purple slime ; they can form mating chains or complete rings of many individuals ; they seem to carry on eating happily while engaged in this scandalous activity . What an admirable animal ! The sea hare is a type of sea slug but is not a nudibranch so another surprise is that , technically , there are no ‘ nudis ’ in my top ten .
Joining up for fun , a mating chain of sea hares
Ready to fight rivals , a beadlet anemone with well-developed ‘ beads
8 . Beadlet anemone – Actinia equina
Snorkellers and divers can appreciate the full beauty of this animal that just looks like a blob of dark red jelly to those who only see it out of water . We can appreciate its dense mass of tentacles carrying stinging harpoon weaponry and its blue beads ( which give it the name ) for fighting rivals over the best feeding spots . It ’ s a brilliant example of a supposedly ‘ simple creature ’, with a mouth and no bottom , having a big story to tell .
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