Nearly every diver has seen the James Cameron blockbuster The Abyss, and who could forget those weird creatures that end up saving everyone’s butt at various points in the movie? While the creatures in that tale were likely intended to have a supernatural affectation, many keen minds have noted the similarities between those fictional beings and actual marine organisms, specifically salps, pyrosomes, and a little creature called the gymnosomata or the sea angel.
Although their moniker would suggest an otherworldly creature, the sea angel is nothing more than a pelagic gastropod mollusk without the protective shell that typically characterizes other mollusks. The feet of these free-swimming organisms have evolved into wing-like appendages that help them swim through the water column. They feed almost exclusively on sea butterflies, tiny pelagic swimming sea snails that propel themselves through the water with similar wing-like appendages. Still, they have the minor advantage of the presence of shells. However, the shell is no deterrent for the sea angel, who will ardently pursue its prey and consume it from the shell using a series of hooks and a toothed radula. Due to its transparent body, the entire act of feeding is visible from beginning to end.
