Alien  Earthlings
Sea Angel

A sea angel is a type of swimming snail. The muscular foot found in land snails evolved into parapodia, wing-like structures for swimming in open water. Sea angels have transparent, gelatinous bodies with no shells.

Both sea angels and sea butterflies are pteropods—a specialized group of free-swimming sea slugs and snails. The main difference is that sea angels have no shell; their scientific name Gynmnosomata means “naked body.” Sea butterflies, or Thecosomata, are usually smaller and have shells.

Sailors have long reported sights of heavenly creatures swimming just below the water’s surface. They might not have been able to catch glimpses while peering over the rails of their ship, but they were right about one thing: there are sea angels lurking in the oceans.

Sea angels are truly captivating to watch. Part of their overall allure can be attributed to the way they move. These creatures glide through the ocean in pulsing motions as graceful as a choreographed dance. The other thing that makes them so mesmerizing to watch is the fact that these animals are semi-transparent. Just by looking at them, you can see their internal organs and gonads! You don’t need a magic school bus to look deeper into a sea angel’s inner workings. You can see right through these incredible creatures and visualize what makes them tick.