{"id":467574,"date":"2026-02-14T04:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T04:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/467574\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T04:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T04:35:10","slug":"snorkeler-swims-by-gorgeous-leaf-then-realizes-its-actually-a-rare-animal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/467574\/","title":{"rendered":"Snorkeler Swims By ‘Gorgeous Leaf’\u2014 Then Realizes It’s Actually A Rare Animal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jill Taylor<\/a>, a puffin researcher based in Nova Scotia, Canada, spends many of her days snorkeling in the North Atlantic Ocean. As a result, she\u2019s pretty familiar with the animals who live in those frigid coastal waters.<\/p>\n

But the other day, Taylor\u2019s friend Elli<\/a>, another avid snorkeler, told her she\u2019d come across some slugs during her swim whom Taylor had never heard of before. The slugs, called eastern emerald elysia, are native to the Atlantic coastline and are known for their stunning green coloring.<\/p>\n

\"uniqueJill Taylor<\/p>\n

Taylor was shocked to learn that eastern emerald elysia are one of the few animals in the world with the ability to photosynthesize.<\/p>\n

Photosynthesis is the biological process through which plants and algae transform light into energy that helps them stay alive and grow. Plants and algae have a special part of their cells called a chloroplast that helps them process sunlight. When eastern emerald elysia eat algae, they absorb their chloroplasts and their photosynthesizing abilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey actually steal the chloroplasts from the algae,\u201d Taylor told The Dodo. \u201cAnd with these chloroplasts, they incorporate it into their own cells, which allows them to photosynthesize.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jill Taylor<\/p>\n

Taylor knew she had to see these unique animals for herself. So last November, she set out on a snorkeling trip and dove without hesitation into the 37-degree Fahrenheit water.<\/p>\n

As she was swimming, she came across a greenish-brown speck floating in the water. At first, she didn\u2019t think much of it.<\/p>\n

\"snorkelerJill Taylor<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kind of just looked like a piece of leaf or like a piece of debris,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cI almost swam right past it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jill Taylor<\/p>\n

But Taylor quickly realized that the \u201cleaf\u201d she\u2019d seen was actually an eastern emerald elysia. As she kept snorkeling, she came across a patch of bright green algae \u2014 covered in hundreds of the slugs.<\/p>\n

The first eastern emerald elysia she\u2019d spotted had been curled up, but these slugs were unfurled, revealing their remarkably leaf-like backs. She marveled at their almost neon green coloring, which comes from the chloroplasts they absorb.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt literally looks like a leaf \u2014 and not just any leaf, but this bright green, absolutely gorgeous leaf,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cIt looks like some kind of cool alien or something a child would have drawn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jill Taylor<\/p>\n

Taylor couldn\u2019t believe she got to see the unique, solar-powered animals with her own two eyes. She watched them feast on the algae and float around for a while before returning to shore, still feeling exhilarated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very exciting day in the water, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n

\"Parkgoer<\/a>Parkgoer Passes By Cat In Snow \u2014 Then Realizes Her Paws Are Frozen To The GroundShe couldn’t move at all \ud83d\ude29<\/a>