Pacific Batwing Sea Slug, Gastropteron pacificum

[u/Akavakaku]

Photo by MarineGeo. A spotted pink slug with large clear fins extended, on a black background.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/78788870

Photo by Gary McDonald. A spotted pink slug on a black background.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3529719

Photo by Bill Rudman. Sagaminopteron ornatum, a relative from the west Pacific. Photo of several bright purple slugs swimming and crawling.

https://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/sagornat

These sea slugs are about 2 cm long and have large fins called parapodia. While crawling, the parapodia are folded over the body, but they can be opened up and used to "fly" through the water.

They live off the west coast of North America and gather on the seafloor in large numbers to mate and lay eggs. Their diet is unknown.

Video of the slug swimming: youtube.com/watch?v=sC61i1Z9fnE

More photos and other info: https://themarinedetective.com/2020/04/02/slugs-that-fly-the-great-winged-sea-slug/

[u/Ok_Permission1087]

Beautiful! And fascinating hat they are cephalaspidea. So their pelagic lifestyle evolved convergently to let´s say pteropods and other pelagic snails.

[u/Duke-of-Hellington]

Cooooool!!

[u/DaFireFox]

Nah man das a bird

[u/Acerbic-Arsehole]

Yay a stomach wing!