By Sheetal Kumari | June 20, 2025
Sea bunnies are cute sea slugs, and their name comes from their fluffy, bunny-like ears and soft, white or pale bodies.
(Image: Canva)
They are not bunnies at all; they are actually marine molluscs from the Jorunna genus of nudibranchs.
(Image: Canva)
Their “ears” are actually sensory organs named rhinophores that assist them in sensing chemicals in the water.
(Image: Canva)
Sea bunnies take up poisons from sponges they feed on, and they are toxic to predators.
(Image: Canva)
These animals inhabit warm, shallow waters off Japan, the Philippines and some of the Indo-Pacific.
(Image: Canva)
In contrast to snails, nudibranchs such as sea bunnies possess no shell but use their toxicity as protection.
(Image: Canva)
Sea bunnies come in white, yellow or orange, usually with dark patches and soft-looking fur.
(Image: Canva)
They’re small, just around 1–2 cm long, yet remarkably detailed and interesting to see for divers.
(Image: Canva)
Sea bunnies move along coral reefs slowly, camouflaging themselves to escape danger.
(Image: Canva)
Precious as they are, sea bunnies teach us that nature’s most tender-looking animals can be at bottom survivors.
(Image: Canva)