ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - A giant purple blob from the sea -- a slug -- is invading East Bay beaches and waterways this summer and some experts say it may be due to warmer temperatures near coastal waters.
The Contra Costa Times reports these California sea hares are harmless plant eaters. But their big size and unusual abundance this year is turning heads at the shorelines in the cities of in Alameda, Richmond and Oakland.
Officials have no precise count, but dozens have been seen on some beaches at the same time, and two dozen were spotted last month in an inlet to Lake Merritt in Oakland.
Morgan Dill, a naturalist at the Crab Cove Visitor Center in Alameda, says the boom of sea hares may be related to warmer temperatures near coastal waters.
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Information from: The Contra Costa Times, http://www.contracostatimes.com
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