What's New

Sea Butterflies : Impact Of Climate Change

News: Due to climate change, the number of sea butterflies in the Southern Ocean is declining, rendering them particularly vulnerable.

Thecosomata, sometimes known as sea butterflies, is the scientific name for the group of sea snails known as shelled pteropods.

Instead of gliding on solid surfaces, they can swim in water thanks to their powerful feet.

Sea butterflies spend their whole life cycle in the water column and are holoplanktonic (organisms that float, drift, or swim very weakly in the water).

All oceans have them, but the colder waters have a greater variety and abundance.

The shells of sea butterflies can be coiled or uncoiled and come in a variety of sizes and forms.

The majority of their translucent, brittle shell is quickly dissolved by ocean acidification.

They have a head with eyes, tentacles, and a mouth with a large proboscis to capture prey, as well as a pair of parapodia, which resemble wings, for propulsion.

They use their body surface for gas exchange because they lack or have a reduced gill.

Numerous fish, seabirds, whales, and other marine species rely heavily on them as a food source.

Through the use of their shells and faecal pellets, they also have a significant impact on the movement of carbon from the ocean’s surface to its depths.