Spinach Snail

This ocean snail called by Elysia chlorotica. The shape of its body as like a leaf and has chlorofile, meaning is this snail can be able to do photosynthesis. Surface of its body that resembles leaf and wide, making it easily to absorpt the sunlight for this photosynthesis process. This spinach snail is not like others animals, it doesn't need to hunt for its food as long as it has enough chlorophylls stocks in its body. Due to its needs for enough sunlight for doing photosynthesis process, these spinach snail most can be found in shallow waters, could be in the sea, swamps or rivers with depths 0 - 0.5m.

This snail most exists in EasSea of USA, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Canadian waters. Most of the size of this snail 2 - 3 cm, but there is also size of 6 cm. In there they called animal half plant.


Changing Colors 
When the snail still kids, the color of its body was reddish-browned or more to grayish. Then, when teens, they still can not be able to do photosynthesis, the food supplement for them is green algaes. Once they fed-enough by the green algaes, the color of its body change into green. At the end, once the snail is adult already; they can be able to do photosythesis.
Expert says that the fact is that this spinach snail steal leaf chlorophyll producing genes from green algaes so that the reason they can be able to do photosynthesis.

So guys, don't get confuse yourself once you find this in sea. It is not spinach leaf. It's a snail. :-)
Then, if you want to know more about this spinach snail, join to this site because they always up-date the newest things about this snail : http://www.seaslugforum.net