Mollusk Spotlight: Jorunna Parva

Despite their popularity in Japan, there is very little information about this creature on the internet. Most of them are simply pictures, but in this case, the pictures really are the whole story. Here is why. The Jorunna parva is often referred to as a "sea bunny." The reason for this is because sometimes this mollusk can look amazingly similar to a cute, little bunny rabbit. But it is far from a rabbit. It is actually a kind of slug. Can a slug look like a bunny? The answer is a resounding... sometimes!

The Jorunna parva looks most like a rabbit when it is fat and white in color. It has a pair of protruding organs known as a rhinophore which are its main sensory organs in the water. It translates chemical changes around them into biological signals in which it can interpret; however, they also look very much like cute bunny ears. What appears to be bunny fur all over its body is actually something called caryophillidia which are tiny needle-like sensory tubes. But when they are white, they look very much like soft fur.

These sea bunnies are also hermaphrodites. This basically means that each Jorunna parva has both male and female sex organs. When they mate, the transfer happens both ways at the same time. Yes, it is very easy for them to become pregnant which is fine with me. We need more cute stuff in the world. It is also a good thing since the sea bunny does not live very long. Although they can live up to one full year, most do not make it past 2 months.

The Jorunna parva should never be eaten. They tend to feed on poisonous sea life and re-purpose the toxins for its own defense. This is similar to the sea swallow I spotlighted some time ago. In that same vein, they can destroy jellyfish and steal the stingers away for their own use. Very clever!

There is no fiction for the Jorunna parva, and I'm not really sure how one should be presented. I did not really find much information on their behavior. What I did find was hard fought for, and I am happy to have the privilege to present it to you. In this case, I really should just defer you to the images. These are one of those animals that thrive on being adored at a distance, and I want you to adore them just the same. Check out these wonderful little bunnies of the sea!

Thank you for reading my blog! If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Cute!

Alternate color that still looks good.