We'll be joined by Dr Auriel Sumner-Hempel to learn about sea slugs, their fascinating behaviour, and how to spot sea slugs in Aberdeen!

Sea slugs, including nudibranchs, sacoglossans and sea hares, are some of the most diverse, colourful and frankly strange creatures found in our oceans.

With over 3,000 species of sea slug described, they can be found in seas worldwide and across depths ranging less than one meter to nearly 2,500 meters in the bathypelagic zone. Alongside their widespread distribution they demonstrate an impressive range of unusual behaviours and adaptations, including stealing stinging cells from their prey to defend themselves against predators, and stealing chloroplasts from algae to become photosynthetic.

Sea slugs are an incredible example of diverse evolution and many of the questions surrounding their diversity remain unanswered. This talk will explore the fascinating world of sea slugs, including their unusual behaviour and biology and discuss the insights that genomic research can provide on their diversity and evolution.

We will then look closer to home, highlighting some of the species that have been found locally in the rockpools around Greyhope and demonstrate how you can become an expert sea slug spotter yourself.

Free tea and coffee will be served by our wonderful volunteers.

Please note: Greyhope Bay is a charity and our events are not all directly funded. Donations are greatly appreciated and allow us to continue running these events for the community.

Free tickets are available. If you are able to make a donation, select 'Donation ticket' at checkout, and enter your donation amount. All donations are greatly appreciated and make a difference as they allow us to cover the costs of running Greyhope Mornings.

Description supplied by the event organiser.