Pink sea creature found at park in Australia — and discovered as new species. See it

A pink sea creature swam through the river at a park in Australia and dug in the sand. Watching nearby, a scientist snapped photos of the colorful animal. It turned out to be a new species.

Researchers visited the riverside La Balsa Park several times between 2017 and 2019 to survey marine life, according to a study published April 24 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.

During their visits, researchers noticed some pink sea slugs that were “common” in the area but unfamiliar-looking, the study said. They photographed the sea animals and captured some of them.

Several years later, researchers did a large-scale DNA analysis of a sea slug family, known as Goniodorididae, and identified several possible new species, the study said.

Afterward, researchers took another look at the pink sea slugs found in Australia and realized they’d discovered a new species: Naisdoris labalsaensis, or the La Balsa sea slug.

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La Balsa sea slugs are small, reaching about 0.6 inches in length, researchers said. They have “elongated” pink bodies with yellow and white spots and “slender” horn-like structures on their heads.

Photos show several La Balsa sea slugs swimming and digging. Their bright coloring appears easy to spot against the sandy riverbed.

Like other sea slugs, the new species has both male and female sex organs, the study said.

Researchers said they named the news species after the park in Australia “where its presence was common.” La Balsa Park is about 60 miles north of Brisbane and along the country’s eastern coast.

So far, La Balsa sea slugs have been found in Australia and Japan, the study said.

The new species was identified by its coloring, pattern, reproductive system, internal anatomy DNA and other subtle physical features, the study said.

The research team included Sofia Paz-Sedano, Gary Cobb, Terrence Gosliner and Marta Pola. The team also discovered six more new species of sea slug, including one “adorned with gold.”

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