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Brown Butterfly

December 17, 2012

The half-inch-long Cavolinia uncinata swims by flapping two wing-like extensions that give the group of planktonic snails formally known as pteropods its unofficial name of “sea butterflies”. Scientists on a recent cruise collected this one for a project examining the effects of ocean acidification on pteropods. Cavolinia feeds by producing a net or web of mucus attached to its mouth. When particles and small prey stick to the net, the pteropod ingests its dinner, web and all. (Photo by Leo Bianco-Bercial, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)