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Animal profile

Sea Mouse

Aphrodita aculeata

PolychaetaSoft sediment on the seabed from the shallow subtidal down to several hundred metres

Field profile

Aphrodita aculeata is a stout oval polychaete covered in dense felt-like hair and bristles, which gives it a rodent-like appearance when washed ashore. It burrows through sediment hunting small invertebrates. Its bristles are strongly iridescent.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-05-01

Sea Mouse

The sea mouse's colours come from photonic structure

The iridescent bristles of Aphrodita aculeata contain a regular hexagonal array of hollow cylinders. Colour arises from how that structure reflects light, not from pigment, and the effect changes with viewing angle.

Read with evidence →

Sea Mouse | Daily Animal Facts