Meet The Sea Bunnies, The Strange Sea Creatures Japan Has Fallen In Love With

Despite its cute and cuddly appearance, this little sea creature is actually a kind of slug. When you hear the word “slug” your first reaction probably isn’t “adorable”, but after checking out these Jorunna parva sea slugs, you might feel differently.

Like all the sea slugs in the group containing J. parva, called the dorid nudibranchs, the sea bunny steals its toxic defenses from its food. Dorids eat sponges, and some of their toxins are also used in cancer treatments for people. Sea slugs in other groups can steal the stingers right out of jellyfish and use them in their own defense. For instance, slugs in the genus Glaucus will attack and eat one of the most venomous jelly-like animals out there, the Portuguese man-of-war. Admire and coo over the fuzzy little creature now known as the sea bunny. Just resist the urge to touch those rabbit ears.