Beachcombers Field Guide - Department Of Fisheries Western ...

Sea hare
Mollusca – Gastropoda
Sometimes dark slimy
blobs wash up onto beaches
during late summer and throughout
autumn. These blobs are actually sea
hares – a type of mollusc closely related
to sea slugs or nudibranchs. Grazing on
algae, their black, brown or purple colour
(dark mottled green in some other species)
acts as perfect camoufl age as they slowly
crawl over the seabed.
Sea hares only
live for about a
year – dying
after laying
their long
tangled
strings of
eggs.
Photo: Gilbert Stokman
Did you know?
Be careful if handling sea
hares – when threatened, these
molluscs may excrete colourless
toxic slime from the skin and a
cloud of purple ink that can irritate
the eyes. Some species can even kill
a dog if eaten or even mouthed!