This tiny Costasiella kuroshimae, also called the "leaf slug" or "Shaun the Sheep" slug is just about as adorable as a sea creature can get. It was captured by top-notch underwater photographer Alex Mustard, who shared it on his Instagram. He also wrote:
My little green friend. Like many photographers I have a love-hate relationship with Shaun the sheep slugs. These little sap-sucking herbivores make my eyes spin with their total cuteness, and my head spin when it comes to photographing them. They are much, much smaller than people expect, about 2-3mm long (1/16 inch). Once you get the photos on the computer you are in love over again. Their tiny bodies glow in the light and you can zoom in and enjoy all the details of this amazing looking mollusc.
BBC provides some more info about this adorable little creature that produces some of its food through photosynthesis:
Much like its herbivorous namesake, the ocean-dwelling "leaf sheep" grazes for food; however, it supplements its diet in a unique way: through the power of the sun.
This marine invertebrate has black beady eyes situated close together, rhinophores with black tips resembling sheep's ears or insect antennae sticking out of its white head and dotted green cerata popping out of the upper surface of its body. The sea slug's cerata are leaflike appendages akin to an aloe vera plant or a zebra succulent but typically with pink, purple or white tips, and they contain branches of digestive gland. Meanwhile, rhinophores pick up chemical signals in the water, giving the sea slug its sense of smell and enabling it to find food sources.
Click here to read more about this cutie, and to see more truly astounding underwater photography, check out Alex Mustard's Instagram.
