Halocynthia roretzi

Musée

Try not to gawk as you look upon the sea pineapple. Its peculiar look is simply one of nature's many jokes. Though it may look like a half-rotten hunk of fruit, the sea pineapple is no plant, shellfish, or even sea slug. It's a tunicate, wot wot...a fancy name for a shallow-water filter feeder with a taste for plankton. It should be noted that the sea pineapple looks like a tadpole when it's young and can still swim about. Alas, its youthful cuteness wears off once it attaches itself for good to a rock. Ah, but let's put insults aside! Sea pineapples are full of water, you sea. And I fear we're asking for a squirt in the eye!