Over the past few days, surfers in Saint Augustine have had to bear constant poking by small, clear, spike shaped creatures. They are especially prone to getting stuck in fabric such as shorts, swimsuits and shirts or rashguards. I got a few stuck in my hands while paddling.
After searching endlessly online, Surf Station messageboard member gringojo identified them and mentioned a professor who was researching them. A quick search found this article on Jacksonville University‘s website.
Creseis acicula photo via Arctic Ocean Diversity arcodiv.org
The needles are in fact swimming snails or sea slugs called creseis acicula or Sea Butterflies. They are JU grad student Madelyn Woods’s “favorite marine organism”. Here was a report done by First Coast News
and here is footage of one moving under a microscope.
