Seed-size sea slug looks like an everything bagel
A newly identified species of sea slug, Thecacera sesama, has been discovered in Taiwan. This tiny slug, measuring less than 0.12 inches, is named for its resemblance to a sesame seed. Researchers believe that Taiwan's marine environment may harbor many other unknown species.
- ▪Thecacera sesama is a newly identified species of sea slug found in Taiwan.
- ▪It is less than 0.12 inches long and resembles a sesame seed.
- ▪The slug was discovered by researcher Ho-Yeung Chan while diving in 2019.
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Two ‘Thecacera sesama’ feeding on a bryozoan. Ho-Yeung Chan et al., 2026. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Email address Sign up Thank you! Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Small as a grain of rice, polka-dotted, and everything nice. These are some of the ingredients that come together to make Thecacera sesama, a newly identified species of sea slug, or nudibranch, found swimming in Taiwan. “Taiwanese divers call it ‘sesame’ in Chinese and it is also small like a sesame seed, hence the name,” researchers explain in a statement. Indeed, T. sesama is less than 0.12 inches long. The tiny bugger is also translucent and speckled black and yellow, and Ho-Yeung Chan “accidentally discovered” it while diving in 2019.
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