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malibusurfsidenews.com News
Malibu surfside news | July 13, 2017 | 7
Unusual sea creature reportedly found in Malibu
Many join debate
of strange marine
animal’s identity
Suzanne Guldimann
Freelance Reporter
What appears to be a
dead sea hare, a species of
marine gastropod, caused a
stir on the internet after the
beachgoer who found the
remains of the animal at
Leo Carrillo Beach posted
photos of it to the social
media site Reddit.
The photo of the creature
can be viewed at imgur.
com/P6TJaw4.
It’s not the first time
a Malibu sea creature
has generated headlines.
In 2010 a 10-foot-long
sea serpent-like oar fish
turned up at Malibu Colony.
A 40-foot-long dead
fin whale made headlines
in 2012 when it washed
ashore at Point Dume, and
in the 1950s, the remains
of a giant squid were reportedly
fished out of the
water off Paradise Cove.
This time, tabloids from
as far away as Britain, India
and Russia described
the find as “bizarre,” “baffling”
and “shocking,” despite
the fact that another
Reddit user swiftly identified
the dead marine organism
as something much
less exotic than a sea monster.
Reddit community member
pacifickestrel responded
to creature finder xxviiparadise’s
request for an
ID in the “whatisthisthing”
group on Reddit.
“I believe this is a dead
sea hare,” pacifickestrel
wrote. “As a marine biologist,
I’ve seen plenty.
They start to look all sorts
of weird the longer they’ve
been dead, but that big
muscular foot running
along the side there is pretty
characteristic.”
Mike Schaadt, the director
of the Cabrillo Marine
Aquarium, did not see the
internet sensation but confirmed
that a decomposing
sea hare seemed a reasonable
conclusion.
“Sea hares can start to
look really strange after
they die,” Schaadt told the
Malibu Surfside News.
He explained that the
decomposition process can
transform almost any sizable
marine organism into
something that appears bizarre
and baffling at first
glance.
Schaadt has seen his
share of strange finds.
“We had a thornback ray
recently,” he said. “But it
had decomposed so much
it was hard to tell what it
was.”
Schaadt explained that
sea hares are gastropods
not unlike like garden
snails. However, their shell
is small and entirely internal.
The large foot that is
the “pod” part of the word
“gastropod” consists of
dense muscle tissue that
decays at a slower rate
than the sea hare’s softer
organs.
There are two common
local species of sea hare in
the Malibu area: the California
brown sea hare and
the black sea hare.
Judging from the Reddit
poster’s description of
the size and weight of the
creature found at Leo Carrillo
— six inches across
and around seven pounds,
odds are good that it could
be a black sea hare.
“The black sea hare gets
a lot bigger,” Schaadt said.
Brown sea hares (Aplysia
California) can grow
to be 16 inches long from
nose to tail and weigh up
to five pounds. The black
sea hare, Aplysia vaccaria,
is actually the world’s largest
known gastropod, making
it a true sea monster in
a modest way. It can grow
to be more than three-feet
long and weigh as much as
30 pounds.
Schaadt explained that
both species get their name
from their protruding rhinophores
— scent organs
that resemble the ears of a
rabbit.
Sea hares, like their land
snail cousins, are vegetarians
that use a rasp-like
tongue, called a radula,
to eat seaweed and other
algae. That diet makes
adults inedible to many
ocean predators. The black
sea hare relies on its disagreeable
taste and smell
to deter predators, but the
smaller brown sea hare can
squirt out an acrid purple
dye to discourage anything
willing to take a bite.
Despite being unpalatable,
the attrition rate for
sea hares is high.
“Each can produce hundreds
of thousands of
eggs,” Schaadt said. “But
only one or two will survive
to become reproductive
adults. The larvae
are planktonic, they don’t
settle down right away,
and most get eaten by other
species. Otherwise we
would be chin-deep in sea
hares.”
The Reddit user who
posted the mystery photo
was fortunate to receive
a response from someone
with a marine biology
Editor’s note
Due to the graphic nature of the photo, the Surfside
has chosen not to run the image of the deceased
animal in question. The image may be viewed at
imgur.com/P6TJaw4.
Found something fishy?
Cabrillo Aquarium’s marine biology team offers
marine animal identification services on its website,
www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org/research/askbiologist.asp
background, but Schaadt
explained there is an easier
and more direct way to get
an ID on marine organism.
“We have a form on our
website where you can
ask a biologist directly,”
Schaadt said. “What you
need is a trusted local
source for information. We
have that here.”
The Cabrillo aquarium
features a wide range of
native marine life on exhibit.
Classes and nature
walks offer an interactive
look at the beach and the
intertidal zone. Guided tide
pool walks will resume in
the fall when the year’s
lowest daytime tides occur.
Schaadt said the story of
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
CITY OF MALIBU
PLANNING COMMISSION
the Leo Carrillo mystery
creature is a great opportunity
to remind beachgoers
to use care while exploring
tide pools. He explained
that taking a photo from
a safe distance is a better
option than handling tide
pool life and added that
many species are fragile
and won’t survive being
moved or removed.
“It’s possible to love tide
pools to death,” he said.
The Cabrillo Aquarium’s
marine biology team is happy
to help ID marine life at
www.cabrillomarineaquar
ium.org/research/ask-biol
ogist.asp. The aquarium,
located at 3720 Stephen M.
White Drive in San Pedro,
is open seven days a week.
For more information, call
(310) 548-7562.
The Malibu Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on MONDAY, July 24, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council
Chambers, Malibu City Hall, 23825 Stuart Ranch Road, Malibu, CA, on the project identified below.
EXTENSION OF COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT NO. 12-075 – A request to extend the Planning Commission’s
previous approval of an application to allow for the repair of an existing previously permitted rock revetment and associated
development
Location:
23936 Malibu Road
APN: 4458-008-013
Zoning:
Single-Family Medium Density (SFM)
Applicant/Owner: 23936 Malibu LLC
Appealable to:
City Council
Environmental Review: Categorical Exemption
CEQA Guidelines Section 15301
Case Planner:
Richard Mollica, Senior Planner
(310) 456-2489, Extension 346
rmollica@malibucity.org
Pursuant to the authority and criteria contained in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Planning Director has analyzed
the proposed project. The Planning Director has found that this project is listed among the classes of projects that have been determined
not to have a significant adverse effect on the environment. Therefore, the project is categorically exempt from the provi -
sions of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(e) – Existing Facilities. The Planning Director has further determined
that none of the six exceptions to the use of a categorical exemption apply to this project (CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2).
This extension request will be presented on consent calendar based on staff’s recommendation but any person wishing to be heard
may request at the beginning of the meeting to have the application addressed separately. Please see the recording secretary before
start of the meeting to have an item removed from consent calendar. The Commission’s decision will be memorialized in a written
resolution.
A written staff report will be available at or before the hearing for the project. All persons wishing to address the Commission re -
garding this matter will be afforded an opportunity in accordance with the Commission’s procedures.
Copies of all related documents are available for review at City Hall during regular business hours. Written comments may be pre -
sented to the Planning Commission at any time prior to the beginning of the public hearing.
LOCAL APPEAL – A decision of the Planning Commission may be appealed to the City Council by an aggrieved person by written
statement setting forth the grounds for appeal. An appeal shall be filed with the City Clerk within ten days following the date of ac -
tion for which the appeal is made and shall be accompanied by an appeal form and filing fee, as specified by the City Council. Ap -
peal forms may be found online at www.malibucity.org/planning forms or in person at City Hall, or by calling (310) 456-2489, ex -
tension 245.
IF YOU CHALLENGE THE CITY’S ACTION IN COURT, YOU MAY BE LIMITED TO RAISING ONLY THOSE ISSUES
YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE RAISED AT THE PUBLIC HEARING DESCRIBED IN THIS NOTICE, OR IN WRITTEN CORRE-
SPONDENCE DELIVERED TO THE CITY, AT OR PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING.
_________________________________________
BONNIE BLUE
Planning Director
Publish Date: July 13, 2017