The costasiella sea slug, also known as the "leaf sheep" or "Shaun-the-sheep slug", is an animal that is part vegetable
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It's a photosynthetic animal that grazes on marine algae, but it doesn't digest the plant matter entirely
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It separates the chloroplasts, which are the green organelles that convert sunlight into chemical energy, from the rest of the meal, and embeds them in its own tissues
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They range from 5 mm to 1 cm in length, and can be yellowish brown to bright green, with dots of other colours on their skin
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They have two rhinophores that look like sheep's ears or insect antennae. The rhinophores have fine hairs that help them find food
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Costasiella sea slugs are found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Western Pacific oceans
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The Costasiella sea slug is a hermaphrodite that lives in shallow water beneath the ocean, where sunlight can still penetrate
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Photosynthesis provides the Costasiella sea slug with an extra food source and enables it to survive even when algae are scarce