Sea Angel (Clione)クリオネ

Clione limacinaNE— Not Evaluated

The sea angel, Clione limacina, is a small pelagic sea slug that drifts through cold polar and subpolar waters of the Arctic Ocean, North Pacific, North Atlantic, and Southern Ocean. Despite its delicate, wing-like appearance, it is an exclusive predator of the sea butterfly Limacina helicina, seizing prey with six tentacle-like buccal cones and pulling them from their shells. Its conservation status has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN, though ocean acidification is weakening the shells of the sea butterflies it depends on.

Sea Angel (Clione) (reference photo)
Photo: Jeff Hannigan (NOAA) / Public domain / Source / cropped

Species Data

Classification
Gymnosomata / Clionidae Source
Distribution
Widely distributed in cold currents around both poles, including the Arctic Ocean, North Pacific, North Atlantic, and Southern Ocean; in Japan it is found along the Sea of Okhotsk coast. Source

Did You Know?

  • Despite its nickname "angel of the drift ice," it hunts by extending six tentacle-like buccal cones from its head to pull prey snails completely out of their shells and swallow them whole. Source
  • Once it switches to a carnivorous diet, it becomes remarkably tolerant of starvation, with some individuals surviving a full year without food. Source

Where to See This Species

7 facilities · 0 individuals

サンシャイン水族館 (Sanshain Suizokukan)Tokyo池袋駅（35番出口）からサンシャイン60通りを通って来館。

サンシャイン水族館のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

越前松島水族館 (Echizenmatsushima Suizokukan)FukuiOpened in 1959

越前松島水族館のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

Osaka Aquarium KaiyukanOsakaOpened in 1990

海遊館のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

志摩マリンランド (Shimamarin Land)MieOpened in 1970

志摩マリンランドのWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

稚内市立ノシャップ寒流水族館 (Wakkanai Shiritsu Noshappukanryuu Suizokukan)HokkaidoOpened in 1968

稚内市立ノシャップ寒流水族館のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

Toba AquariumMieOpened in 1955

鳥羽水族館のWikipedia記事に飼育種として記載 Source

魚津水族館 (Uozu Suizokukan)ToyamaOpened in 1913

クリオネのWikipedia記事に飼育施設として記載 Source

Conservation Story

Conservation Status

IUCNの評価はNEです。海氷や海水温の変化を受ける北方の浮遊生態系を注視します。

Habitat

北極海などの寒冷な海域の表層から中層。

Threats

  • 海水温上昇
  • 海氷環境の変化
  • 餌生物の変動

Conservation & Breeding Efforts

  • 寒冷海域の生態系研究
  • 水族館での生態教育

Sources

en.wikipedia.org

Support Conservation

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FAQ

What does a sea angel eat?
As an adult it feeds almost exclusively on Limacina helicina, a related pelagic snail, extracting the animal from its shell with tentacle-like buccal cones. Source
How long do sea angels live?
Studies in Svalbard suggest a life cycle of at least two years, and carnivorous adults can survive up to a year without feeding. Source

Source: ja.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org