There are so many strange creatures on Earth and classifying them all is impossible. However today we want to tell you about a living being that can be found in the seabed: the Melibe viridisexponent of the nudibranchs which has a very peculiar feeding method.
The animal possesses what is called “oral veil“; to hunt, he throws the latter like a sort of net and, when the tiny hairs that cover it meet a potential prey, it contracts and traps its victims (as you can best observe in a video at the bottom of the news).
Any tiny creatures that are picked up by the oral veil are then broken down and digested. The peculiarities of the Melibe viridis are certainly not finished here: since it is found on the seabed it is vulnerable to predation itself and therefore the inhabitant of the depths has evolved to practice a rather peculiar defense mechanism.
Its body is lined with very sticky lobes which are used to cling to bedrock. If a predator tries to feed on the creature, the meliba can detach one of the lobes to escape. The latter can be found throughout the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean and parts of the Mediterranean.
Divers who encounter the creature are advised not to disturb it because – at the sight of some presumed danger – they could detach their earlobes. This is a technique that the animal uses sparingly, since to regrow another lobe will take some time and most importantly, new food to vacuum.
