SOME SEA slugs are kleptomaniacs. Elysia crispata, a species of those marine molluscs discovered within the western Atlantic and the Caribbean, is among the many most infamous. When the slugs eat algae, their our bodies pinch bits of the algae’s cells, referred to as chloroplasts, that allow photosynthesis. These are put to good use, giving the slugs their verdant hue which, together with their frilly again, earned them the moniker “lettuce slug” (see image). In addition they proceed to perform contained in the slug for a couple of 12 months, offering them with photosynthetic vitality. Scientists have recognized about this course of, termed kleptoplasty, for many years. However how the heist was pulled off remained a thriller.
