# A tiny ocean animal called the leaf sheep figured out how to make its own food from sunlight

Source: [Earth.com](https://www.earth.com/animals/a-tiny-ocean-animal-called-the-leaf-sheep-figured-out-how-to-make-its-own-food-from-sunlight/) · 2026-11-12 · Earth & Climate
Page: https://themorning.science/story/a-tiny-ocean-animal-called-the-leaf-sheep-figured-out-how-to-make-its-own-food-f-29bf3abfc0c03154
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- The leaf sheep is a sea slug that resembles a cartoon lamb, with leaf-shaped growths on its back.
- Its growths are green because it keeps chloroplasts from the algae it eats.
- Chloroplasts capture sunlight, which lets the slug make its own food from light.

## Why it matters

It is a striking case of an animal using chloroplasts taken from its algal food to get energy from sunlight, which is of interest to readers following photosynthesis and symbiosis.

## Coverage

- [A tiny ocean animal called the leaf sheep figured out how to make its own food from sunlight](https://www.earth.com/animals/a-tiny-ocean-animal-called-the-leaf-sheep-figured-out-how-to-make-its-own-food-from-sunlight/) — Earth.com, 2026-11-12

Tags: sea slug, photosynthesis, chloroplasts, marine biology, symbiosis

---

Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science