Sea Slug Reproduction
Sea Slugs are considered marine gastropod mollusks, which falls under the larger gastropoda class. Almost all sea slugs are hermaphrodites, meaning they contain both male and female reproductive organs. This eases the reproductive process as they can mate with any other slug within the same family. However, under unique conditions, researchers have observed sea slugs of different species mate with one another. When sea slugs mate, they both extend their penises, bearing a chitinous stylet, puncturing one another through the body wall to deposit sperm. Once attached, the pair will maneuver towards one of three primary mating positions; right side to right side, head to head, and lastly, head to tail. These mating positions are, naturally, determined by the location of the penis in relation to vagina, the flexibility of the species, as well as partner aggression. For the most part, the common sea slug penetrates their partners in random areas, indiscriminately. However, research has shown that one subset of the Siphotperon genus has consistently stabbed their partners in the head when mating.
The common sea slug mating ritual involves a dance-like courtship that can vary from fleeting to several hours depending on the species, size, and maturity. Sea slugs lay an average of 500 eggs, but depending on the species, they can lay as few as 1 to 2 eggs or upwards of 25 million eggs. Sea slugs usually lay them in a long string-like structure, similar to a string of beads, which is then coiled up in a jelly mass to protect the eggs from predators and bacteria. Some sea slug eggs utilize toxins from sea sponges as a means of deterring predators, such as fishes, lobsters, crabs, and even humans. Once laid, it may take the eggs between 5 to 50 days before hatching into free-swimming larvae, who look almost identical to their adult counterparts.
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10 июл 2022
