‘Completely unusual’ rare sea slug found in British waters for first time

The Babakina anadoni slug is usually found in warmer waters around the coast of Spain

The Babakina anadoni sea slug is usually found in warmer waters around Spain

(Image credit: Allen Murray/Cornwall Wildlife Trust)

published 12 August 2022

An extremely rare sea slug has been recorded in British waters for the first time, by a diver on holiday in the Isles of Scilly. The slug, called Babakina anadoni, is usually found in warmer waters around the coast of Spain, and can grow up to 2cm long. Diver Allen Murray, 65, said it had struck him as “completely unusual” the moment he saw it. “I was looking at some jewel anemones, which are colourful enough, and then I spotted something that looked out of place and went a bit closer,” he said. It’s thought that the slug might have drifted over to the Scillies on ocean currents when it was still a free-floating larva.

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