Shaggy Mouse Nudibranchs (Aeolidia loui)

Other Names: California shag-rug nudibranch, mossy nudibranch, common grey sea slug

Description: True to their name, shaggy mouse are covered in two dense rows of cerata that give them a fuzzy appearance. Shaggy mouse nudibranchs have two horn like protrusions on their head called rhinophores. Nudibranchs use these structures to sense their surroundings and find food. Shaggy mouse nudibranchs can come in several color morphs that range from a dark gray or brown to a light beige. Commonly around 5cm long, shaggy mouse nudibranchs can grow up to 10cm. Although this species is common at Haystack Rock, they are difficult to find. Often blending into the sand or rocks, shaggy mouse prefer areas near their food source: anemones. The best place to look for shaggy mouse nudibranchs is on boulders in low intertidal areas.

Habitat: Ranging from shaggy mouse nudibranchs live in low intertidal and subtidal habitats.

Diet: Like the opalescent nudibranch, shaggy mouse nudibranchs feed on sea anemones and occasionally hydroids.

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• Shaggy mouse nudibranchs have been known to eat as much as half their own body weight everyday.

• Unable to digest the nematocysts in the sea anemones they eat, shaggy mouse nudibranchs reabsorb these stinging cells and store them in their cerata as a form of self defense.

• Some anemones have symbiotic algae growing within their tenticles. When shaggy mouse eat these tentacles, the algae has the opportunity to change hosts and begin growing within the nudibranch.

Reference: Wall Wall University