Small Sea Hare, Aplysia elongata

These animals (all varied in colour — from cream to green to brown/black to pinkish red) were found in a semi-protected rock, rubble, algae and sponge covered area of North Maui or in Ma’alaea Bay.  Though they apparently grow to 40 mm (1.5″), these were all less than an inch and the juvenile was no more than 4 mm. The powder-blue tips and edging on their rhinophores,  cephalic tentacles and parapodia is striking.  In a few of these photos the well-camouflaged animals can barely be seen crawling through the red algae, Laurencia nidifica.   For more taxonomic information, see Sea Slugs of Hawaii.