To the group of Gymnosomata (naked body) belong invege the angels of the sea, beautiful creatures who have lost completely transparent shell. The foot and 'transformed into two small wings flying fast allowing these animals shots considerable, although on average the frequency and' 1-2 beats per second.They look like an aquatic version of fairies flowers, just missing the golden powder to be spread around, they have everything, the antennas on the little head, the graceful little body that seems to be a ghost and delicate little wings.They also have an interesting way of eating.
Our graceful angels are indeed marine predators ultraspecialized on only one type of prey: their cousins limacina, butterflies sea. Limacina helicina and 'definitely preferred but not limacina rear mount and' despised. Do not eat more: except veligere, or the larval faorma just hatching from the egg, fitted with a shell, and that 'herbivorous, All larval and juvenile and adult Clione prey limacina, choosing from time to time the life stage of the size more 'suitable.
WARNING. The description of predation and 'scary, it looks like a Japanese horror film, the kind where the beautiful girl turns into a monster that sadistic torture the victim for hours.
First of all, and 'need a butterfly sea and an angel of the sea are randomly contact, event anything but unlikely when both species are in full bloom between spring and autumn arctic. If Clione has the chance 'to choose between more' victims, always chooses the most 'big as possible. Just contact occurs ... BLINK!Within 50-70 milliseconds from the mouth of the angel come out six tentacles pumped violently outside the internal fluids of the shellfish, one of the most 'fast hydraulic movements that are known ( here and hereyou can see movies of Clione in action) . The six tentacles firmly grip the shell butterfly, and it 's the end.The tentacles, holding firmly in a deadly embrace the shell, the turn over in order to place it with the opening facing the mouth of the angel, that at this stage and 'huge and open to the maximum. The same time two hooks are everted by special bags and placed in the body of the prey, usually at the base of the wings.