# Sea Angel (*Clione limacina*)

> The sea angel (Clione limacina) is a shell-less pelagic snail that swims with wing-like parapodia and hunts shelled pteropods in Arctic seas. Adults reach 5 cm and are Least Concern.

- **Category:** Invertebrate
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Cold Arctic and subarctic seas.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/sea-angel/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Mollusca
- **Class:** Gastropoda
- **Order:** Pteropoda
- **Family:** Clionidae
- **Genus:** Clione

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Clione limacina |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Habitat | Open polar waters |
| Lifespan | 1–2 years |
| Weight | 0.001–0.005 kg |
| Top speed | up to 2 km/h |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## Winged snail without a shell

Sea angels shed the shell their ancestors carried. Parapodia flap like wings for slow swimming in cold water. Bodies are mostly transparent except an orange gut.

## Shell-drilling pteropod hunter

Specialised radula teeth hook and extract shelled sea butterflies (Limacina). High predation can structure pteropod populations in Arctic food webs.

## Cold Arctic and subarctic seas

North Atlantic and Pacific polar waters. Seasonal blooms track their shelled prey in plankton.

## Climate sentinel

Least Concern currently. Warming and acidification affect pteropod prey; sea angels are studied as indicators of polar pelagic change.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why is it called a sea angel?

Wing-like parapodia and graceful swimming in cold clear water suggested angel wings.

### Do sea angels have shells?

Adults are naked — they lost the shell during evolution toward pelagic life.

### What do sea angels eat?

Mainly shelled sea butterflies (Limacina pteropods), extracted with hooked teeth.

### Where are sea angels found?

Cold Arctic and subarctic open waters of the North Atlantic and Pacific.

### Are sea angels related to sea slugs?

Both are gastropods, but sea angels are pelagic pteropods, not benthic nudibranchs.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/sea-angel/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.