I used to see Aplysias all over the beach (hundreds, rather than
     dozens) at the Florida State University's Ball Marine Lab near
     Carabelle (south of Tallahassee), apparently left there by a falling
     tide.  Their purple ink stained the beach and it looked rather like a
     battlefield.  I don't know for sure whether the animals survived the
     subaerial exposure to the following tide, but my impression was that
     every time I noticed them they were fresh.  During the day they just
     lay there immobilized under the influence of gravity.  So they must
     have crawled back down to the rocks underwater each time the tide came
     up.  I have wondered for years whether this might have been some sort
     of a mating aggregation.
 
     By the way; does anybody know what sea hares eat?  Maybe algae?
 
 
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Aplysia
Author:  Don Barclay <[log in to unmask]> at ~smtp
Date:    3/30/98 11:20 PM
 
 
Hi Debi,
 
No, but I have seen them under flat rocks with no apparent
entrance.  I suppose they can squeeze through a small crack
or crevice.  I have also found them (once) on the beach by
the dozens at low tide, crawling around on the rocks (at night,
of course).  We hadn't had any particularly rough weather, so it
appeared that they got there intentionally.  They were not there
the next night.
 
 
Don
 
----------
> From: Debi Ingrao <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Aplysia
> Date: Monday, March 30, 1998 3:27 PM
>
> Has anyone ever seen sea hares burrow into the sediment?
>
> debi
>
> Ingrao
> Mote Marine Laboratory          Phone: (941) 388-4441 EXT. 436
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> 1600 Thompson Parkway
> Sarasota, Fl  34236             e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
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> Opinions expressed here are NOT MML policy unless so indicated.
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