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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Patrick Barkham

‘You’d want one as a pet’: the irresistibly cute solar-powered sea slug

Illustration of leaf sheep
The Pokémon-like leaf sheep grazes on algae and is found in tropical waters around Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Illustration: Petra Korlević/The Guardian

A neon green punk sheep that lives underwater. A solar-powered slug that can perform photosynthesis. If you are seeking beauty, brains and a wonderfully innovative lifestyle, then vote leaf sheep.

The leaf or sea sheep, Costasiella kuroshimae, is a sea slug about the size of a grain of rice. Like a sheep, it grazes on green stuff – certain species of algae, which it finds in tropical waters around Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. But its sheepy nickname does it a disservice because it is far more ingenious than us land mammals.

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