This Sea Slug Can Grow A New Body From Its Head

According to a new study by Japanese scientists, a species of sea slug called Sacoglossan can regenerate a brand new body by removing the old one and growing a new one from its head. While many animals have the ability to regenerate parts of their body that are lost or broken, Sacoglossan is the only species in the world found to regrow the entire body.

It detaches the body to grow a new one

The scientist did research on three sea slugs in the lab and one in nature. All of them are found able to regenerate an entirely new body. When their bodies are infected with bacteria, fungus, or viruses, these Sacoglossans will pop off the head from the body at the join of two parts.

The leftover body includes all of the organs like the heart, kidneys, intestines, and reproductive organs. While the body decomposes in a few days, the head part can amazingly move around and eat algae just an hour after the split. This will provide energy for the process of body-regeneration which can be completed in a couple of weeks.

How does the sea slug survive for weeks with just a head?

However, the question of how this creature survives and consumes algae for regeneration is still a mystery to the scientist. While some suppose that they make use of the energy from the photosynthesis process of algae, a scientist even called them ‘the solar-powered sea slug”.

Talking to a science magazine, the lead author of the researcher group Sayaka Mitoh believes that it is the most special form of regeneration that can ever be found in nature. Meanwhile, the scientists are continuing with further research on the healing regime of this tiny interesting sea slug.

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