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See the alien-looking sea slug spotted in UK waters for the first time

Spurilla neapolitana – known as the hair curler slug – is usually found in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, but is now moving northwards, perhaps due to warming oceans

24 September 2025

Spurilla neapolitana. A 'groundbreaking' sea slug discovery has been made - in a UK first. The nudibranch Spurilla neapolitana, typically found in much warmer climates, has been discovered in Cornwall. The colourful sea slug is a usual resident in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and along the western Atlantic. Until now, its most northerly sighting was in Brest, France, in August 2025. — Charlotte Cumming/Cornwall Wildlife Trust/SWNS

This colourful creature is no alien, but it is a long way from home. For the first time, the presence of a type of tropical sea slug has been confirmed by scientists in UK waters. Spurilla neapolitana, also known as the hair curler, is usually found in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. But it has now been seen off the coast of Cornwall, England, possibly as a result of warmer ocean temperatures.

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