Sea angels belong to family of pteropodial mollusks. These beings possess very unusual structure of a body and coloring. The shape of a mollusk became the reason of the unusual name.
General informationSea angels – mollusks with the special structure of a transparent body reminding the torpedo. This being by means of the shoots similar to wings moves. Movements of a mollusk smooth and graceful. Sea angels not too skillfully float. During a storm, for example, they do not even try to struggle with elements, and fall by the maximum depth to wait dangerous time.
In Japan the sea angels are very popular heroes of animated films and characters for production of souvenirs.
Small speed of movement does not prevent mollusks to catch up with the victim. And they can hunt, waiting production among seaweed. Unlike most of representatives of a sort, sea angels have no sink, and the head is pronounced. Small tentacles and well developed oral device are distinctly looked through.
The size of a body of a sea angel reaches 5 cm. This species of mollusks mainly lives in cold waters. The main enemies of angels are birds and toothless whales for whom mass congestions of mollusks without sinks – the real feast. Researchers tell that sea angels form the real packs, and in one square meter at the same time there are several hundreds of individuals.
Food of sea angelsDespite harmless appearance, sea angels are representatives of predators. The main diet of their food is made by limatsina – mollusks which usually call sea demons or devils. The angel catches production tentacles, and then scrapes out a little body of the victim by means of shoots on the oral device. Process of hit of food in a stomach and its movement in an angel are clearly visible thanks to absolutely transparent body. The mollusk can eat one limatsin within 20-30 minutes, at the same time strong holding it for a sink with tenacious tentacles. It is remarkable that this category of mollusks can do without food for several months. In the period of lack of the necessary forage the mollusks use the fat stocks as means of completion of energy and vital force.
Rachki-amfipody use sea angels as weapon. They catch mollusks and carry them with themselves. At emergence of danger the angels produce the secret which is frightening off even large enemies.
Reproduction of sea angelsAll types of sea angels are hermaphrodites. For fertilization two mollusks adjoin with each other paunches and carry out cross exchange of cages. Then each sea angel lays eggs, producing the substance reminding slime in water. The hatched larvae at first eat seaweed, and then begin hunting for a type of food, habitual for them, – sea demons.