Friday, January 20, 2012

A Slug that's a Plant

The things you hear when you listen.

Last night I chatted with work friend during our train ride home.  He told me about this crazy slug: Elysia chlorotica.



The slug eats algae (a plant) for food, but it incorporates the chloroplasts from the algae for itself.  This means that it can get energy from food AND from photosynthesis.  According to this article, the slug can "...live up to nine months without eating anything while still maintaining its normal nutritional rates..."  Crazy!

Here's a link to an article:   http://www.independent.com/news/2010/jan/30/first-known-photosynthetic-animal/?print


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