These animals are also plants … seriously, what? - Luka Seamus Wright episode artwork

EPISODE · May 13, 2026 · 6 MIN

These animals are also plants … seriously, what? - Luka Seamus Wright

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Explore the incredible adaptations of Elysia chlorotica, a species of sea slug that can photosynthesize food. --The species of slug known as Elysia chlorotica may not look like much— it resembles a bright green leaf— but it’s one of the most extraordinary creatures on our planet. Living in marshes along the coast of North America, it can go about a year without eating. During that time, it lives like a plant. How is this possible? Luka Seamus Wright digs into the incredible adaptations of these mixotrophs.Lesson by Luka Seamus Wright, directed by Denis Chapon.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/these-animals-are-also-plants-wait-what-luka-seamus-wrightDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/these-animals-are-also-plants-wait-what-luka-seamus-wright#digdeeperAnimator's website: http://denischapon.com & https://animationworkshop.via.dk Music: https://www.campstudio.co ----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Anandha Krishnan, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Christopher McVay, Carlo Solaroli, Javier Aldavaz, Ivan Yeung, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Stefano Esposito, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Arjay Arcinue Dineros, Anoom Yasmin, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, B, Erica Guerrero, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Milo Vermeulen, Ryan Weiler, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Zongpu Kou, Cameron Chakraverty, Petr Vacek, Rhys Maddigan, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Katrina Adams, Regina Post, Mary Collins, Kari Teffeau, clumsybunnie, Adam Leos, Cindy Lai, Liz, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman and Karen Warner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the incredible adaptations of Elysia chlorotica, a species of sea slug that can photosynthesize food. --The species of slug known as Elysia chlorotica may not look like much— it resembles a bright green leaf— but it’s one of the most extraordinary creatures on our planet. Living in marshes along the coast of North America, it can go about a year without eating. During that time, it lives like a plant. How is this possible? Luka Seamus Wright digs into the incredible adaptations of these mixotrophs.Lesson by Luka Seamus Wright, directed by Denis Chapon.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/these-animals-are-also-plants-wait-what-luka-seamus-wrightDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/these-animals-are-also-plants-wait-what-luka-seamus-wright#digdeeperAnimator's website: http://denischapon.com & https://animationworkshop.via.dk Music: https://www.campstudio.co ----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Anandha Krishnan, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Christopher McVay, Carlo Solaroli, Javier Aldavaz, Ivan Yeung, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Stefano Esposito, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Arjay Arcinue Dineros, Anoom Yasmin, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, B, Erica Guerrero, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, Aleksandar Donev, Nicole Klau Ibarra, Milo Vermeulen, Ryan Weiler, Jesse Lira, Ezekiel Raui, Zongpu Kou, Cameron Chakraverty, Petr Vacek, Rhys Maddigan, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Katrina Adams, Regina Post, Mary Collins, Kari Teffeau, clumsybunnie, Adam Leos, Cindy Lai, Liz, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman and Karen Warner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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These animals are also plants … seriously, what? - Luka Seamus Wright

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This episode was published on May 13, 2026.

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Explore the incredible adaptations of Elysia chlorotica, a species of sea slug that can photosynthesize food. --The species of slug known as Elysia chlorotica may not look like much— it resembles a bright green leaf— but it’s one of the most...

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