Facts: The Orange Gumdrop (The Tiny Slug That Can Secrete Acid)

Tiny, oval, and blob-like, the orange gumdrop sea slug can be found widely distributed in the tropical and temperate waters of the Indo-Pacific. These slugs can be spotted from the intertidal region to 500 feet deep, commonly found hiding under racks and boulders. Only reaching slightly over an inch long, these slugs stand out with their striking body color that may be a bright yellow, orange, or red. While these slugs are soft-bodied, they do possess a very small internal shell. On their head, projecting from under the edge of the mantle, is a pair of rolled sensory tentacles called rhinophores. The rhinophores serve to pick up smells in their environment. Orange gumdrops are side-gilled slugs. On their right side, nestled between their mantle and the muscular foot they use for moving, is their feathery gill used for respiration. Orange gumdrops feed at night, primarily on various types of encrusting sponges. They prefer to stay hidden away under racks during the day. Orange gumdrops have an interesting defense mechanism. When threatened by organisms like sea anemones, fish, or crustaceans, they release a defensive, highly acidic secretion containing sulfate and chlorine ions. The secretion is released from glands scattered across their entire body surface, and it renders them distasteful to predators. They also have an abundance of sharp calcareous embedded in their skin. Eggs are laid in a bright spiral ribbon. For more marine facts, click the SUBSCRIBE button!!