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

Explore the incredible adaptations of Elysia chlorotica, a species of sea slug that can photosynthesize food.
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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.
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View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/these-anim...
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Animator's website: denischapon.com & animationworkshop.via.dk
Music: www.campstudio.co
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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.

[@pr3ll351]

Slugs are not the only animals capable of producing energy from the sun. Whenever I go out into the sun, my skin turns monstrously red. For the next week or so, I will cry in agony, which ends up powering the monsters inc plantation. The more you know

[@bruhian5726]

what

[@cripplingdepression213]

Yes

[@reaperbs7105]

Take my like from all my accounts and shut up

[@hittingyouoverthehead]

What about toys? You know they're alive too right? But they don't eat anything so they too must be producing energy from the sun.

[@leizero]

Very creative comment. Bots are gonna copy this asap if you're not already one.

[@billcipher7292]

This takes "you are what you eat" to another level

[@Marcy53Volkswagen]

indeed

[@jisookim7347]

LMAO FR

[@angrygoose23]

Ok, I know this is said for every video but it still needs to be said: the animation is freaking gorgeous.

[@tuesdaywithanh]

Ted-Ed back at it again with the stellar animation :)

[@Shreyy17]

The content too :)

[@denisl2760]

The animation is great, but it would be nice if they showed at least a few photos of what the slug actually looks like.

[@AlanUy212]

Well, in this video it would have been nice to see the real things.

[@jianghan4086]

The sound and music is also amazing

[@PramkLuna]

Evolution: Would you like to consume other food or make your own? Slug: Yes

[@daforkgaming3320]

Carnivorous plants: I agree as well

[@theawesomegoblins5986]

An autotrophic animal and a heterotrophic plant, I never thought of that! (and to prepare for any people that will “correct” me, I know I’m exaggerating.)

[@Bluecupcake_funko7]

Finary it makes sense

[@ChicagoMel23]

Creation you mean

[@theawesomegoblins5986]

@@ChicagoMel23 No, no, I'm sure they meant evolution.

[@l.n.3372]

The animal that's also a plant ... A Bulbasaur? That was my initial thought when I saw the title of the video xD

[@piyushsinghjatav577]

Same bro 😂

[@Jaye5h]

Lmao 😂

[@gulammohammad9996]

Lol right

[@Gargantura]

i always think that bulbasaur are building symbiotic mutualism with their roses

[@sumitrana2420]

More like Levaney

[@ThitutUhthalye]

Nature never ceases to exceed our wildest imagination! It shows what the natural world is capable of and how interconnected everything is. Such diversity is what creates beauty of this planet and we should strive to preserve it well.

[@muthurajbk4367]

The last part of your message- isn't gonna happen.

[@daforkgaming3320]

@@muthurajbk4367 we should but we don’t. Eventually humanity will see the beauty of nature I hope

[@handsomedude7644]

Gods perfect creation

[@jungoogie]

@@muthurajbk4367 "isn't gonna happen." - It's easy to propagate fear and terror. This tactic can be contagious to the weak of will. Takes a monumental amount of courage to defy that notion. Do you wish to concede so easily? A lesson every person can find themselves grappling with. Existential terror.

[@romanski5811]

Not only is not gonna happen, we are currently actively living in the 6th mass extinction event in Earth's history due to unprecedented wild habitat loss, climate change etc. Take a look at the rate of species loss and compare.

[@alok.ranjan]

The Demon of Reason sounds really relaxed in this one, looks like he’s finally started to accept “these nature programs, with no rational actor in sight”

[@razi_man]

Oh shid, I didn't realise that the Demon of Reason was the narrator until I saw this comment.

[@ingowen]

I was looking for this comment

[@danielyuan9862]

It won't be long until he pops out of your screen and steals all your clothes.

[@blue_lobsterr]

Best comment

[@elvixpro7693]

Algae photosynthesis: *Exists* Elysias: It's for me? 👉👈

[@arielperez797]

Algae: ok...but only take a little bro.

[@AloisAgos]

Sounds like an idea for a Pokemon. "Sunslime" The Algae Slug Pokemon Type: Water/Grass Ability: Chlorophyll ~_^

[@pedropedrohan102]

terribly weak slow and is a slug

[@angelodc1652]

Weird idea for starters Water/Grass Sunslime (Based on this) Grass/Fire Chileaper (Carolina reaper) Fire/Water Oiler (Oil Lamp)

[@dark_wyvern8880]

A fakemon was already created 6 years ago

[@patrickphelan279]

Give it that wonderful Sunny Day/Solarbeam combo in its moveset.

[@dharmicpunch]

For those who are wondering whether humans can adapt cells of other creatures or not, then let me introduce you to Mitochondria - Powerhouse of the cell. It used to be a Single celled organism until one day our Great Great...x....Great Ancestors gulped it and made it part of their multicellular body.

[@kakalimukherjee3297]

@WildChild The image that comes to my mind is Gamora

[@anubhavpal5782]

yup saw it in one video just like this one

[@charadreemurr9081]

Right before watching this video for fun, I was reading a biology textbook and I learned about the same thing! Crazy coincidence! It’s also how we have chloroplasts and it’s called endosymbiosis theory. :D

[@georgeso4364]

You mean George Lucas’s miticlorians!

[@walnerclajus3869]

@WildChild my vegan step-mother surely can LOL

[@Katzmommy777]

Ted-Ed videos are way more exciting and binge-able than any reality tv. Great content always!

[@leylarasulberdieva5161]

I'm dying... I'm in love with the tree cooking 😂💅

[@entertheabyss9785]

I remember one of my school textbooks had a small passage about this and I was fascinated with the idea of a creature doing its own photosynthesis.

[@Trench777]

We exist in a truly remarkable universe. We've only seen a infinitesimal sliver of a speck of it and it still amazes me every day.

[@noeperrette1874]

Omg he looks line a squirell when he goes to the pot at 0:35 . Too much cute

[@VeganDoris]

This is so cool! I thought this was going to be about euglenas. I didn't realize there were multicellular organisms that could do this.

[@Pfh3dk]

Awesome video! 4:13 it definitely wasn't an animal cell though. It was a super ancient eukaryotic (or pre-eukaryoric, let's say) cell, but not an animal at all.

[@mistyminnie5922]

that confused me, thank you!

[@Quazex]

I saw 413 and start convulsing rapidlty

[@gaminawulfsdottir3253]

Animals are eukaryotic organisms.

[@wilfweNightsky]

@@Quazex DONT B3 1NT1M1D4T3D BROTH3R

[@vincentfreddoyle7555]

@@Quazex ?

[@erikaesplin696]

Beautiful animation as always, love the lesson TedEd!

[@priyamanglani3707]

Wait,this video's editing and the take of explaining this blew my mind away. Kids will be so excited to watch this video!

[@absalomdraconis]

Somewhat more unusually, a yellow wasp exists that rather than photosynthesizing, instead photovoltaicizes, and uses the resulting energy to aid it's muscles. Also curiously, the photovoltaic patch is one of the yellow areas.

[@brainstormingsharing1309]

As a side note - really well done for the 17M TED-Ed ❗

[@elvixpro7693]

Animals: Noooo you can't make your own food being an animal Elysias: *Haha mixotrophs go brrr*

[@Blakeneyd]

I love the animation for this video. It’s adorable and really helps break down the concepts.

[@AnnaLuna]

Frickin' amazing! Plus this is the best illustration of a TED-Ed video yet.

[@dailyyoutubeuser]

Well now I'm going to eat some algea in hopes that I can finally be photosynthetic

[@mirjanbouma]

Keep notes, for science!

[@abcxyz-]

How amazing it would be if you could assume such characters.. I have read that alot of pigments in our body are acquired by what we eat . Is it possible?

[@nicreven]

Flamingos do it. They're pink because of the shrimp they eat. A lot of animals do it, actually.

[@daniel-zh9nj6yn6y]

The "blue" people (their parents are relatives) living in some US mountain areas have an inability to absorb a nutrient. Scientists found a temporary cure: a food additive.

[@abcxyz-]

@@nicreven Ya I knew that one

[@razi_man]

Some humans can turn orange if they eat a lot of carrots, this is due to an error in their bodies that makes them unable to process the colour pigments from carrots that they eat.

[@malkolmmonomoy7890]

I ate a lot of carrots and yams when I was a small and my nose turned orange.

[@stevenmilnes2053]

I love TED-ED animated content, I love they are incorporating new epigenetic research into their videos as well!

[@MarcellusJasonClay]

Can carnivorous plants like venus flytrap and sundews be considered as mixotrophs too?

[@whiterapperguy]

Just looked it up on Google. I wasn't thorough and only browsed the top results, but it seemed that yes, they are.

[@guifdcanalli]

nopp, because they dont digest the animals for energy, they digest for micronutrients like minerals Heterotrophy and autotrophy is about energy consuption

[@mochi844]

@@guifdcanalli Arbitrary. Most would actually say mixotroph for the carnivorous plants, but whatever. These plants can still consume the bugs for energy (bugs still contain carbohydrates as well), and also they use the bugs' proteins as a source of energy & nitrogen source.

[@guifdcanalli]

@@mochi844 actually, no they are normal plants and wont create new structures into absorving carbohydrates when they literally make from air and water, the leaves of carnivorous plants are adapted to absorb minerals, proteins and chitin for the nitrogen, all of those nutrients for purposes of making structures and creation of reagents, not for making energy

[@nemou4985]

@@guifdcanalli Still arbitrary. The plant would have to consume energy for making those structures itself. So iti s ssaving metabolic energy by consuming the components of other beings.

[@tylerkwong4947]

Bulbasaur is the first thing that came into my mind :)

[@bluevozhak]

Wow this is simply amazing. Wish more of this was taught in school.

[@oldbatwit5102]

Instead of teaching creationism.

[@draglovsk7279]

Amazing how there are always new animals to discover and to learn from.

[@--Paws--]

I love this style and animation, very cute.

[@mimosapudica9742]

the animation is so amazing and so refreshing to the eyes. these illustrations would be perfect for a book. 😍

[@dkaloger5720]

the symbiosis with the algae is reminiscent of the symbiosis with mytochondria .

[@graciacarolina1557]

TED-Ed videos are not only insightful, but also very relaxing! :)

[@TrishTruitt]

Great animation, expressive sound effects and perfect narration!

[@theo9743]

Loved this video, you learn something new everyday!

[@screechingtoad2683]

Is that the demon of reason speaking? I didn't know they also knew alot about biology

[@aparajitasuman9727]

Wow! This was like a trip down the lane for me. Remembered my biology classes in school. Good work TedEd

[@pranz2984]

A very interesting and wonderfully done video as always accompanied by amazing animations to completely hook you in!

[@Pigeon0fDoom]

And again, the always underrated and misunderstood Bulbasaur is forgotten..

[@patrickphelan279]

First two gens let Grass win the "cutest starter" competition easily.

[@--Paws--]

It is literally what a plant type Pokemon would be like...

[@khumbonyirenda4791]

Your animations are always top tier👌🏼

[@chARlie-nd5sg]

It's been 4months I am follwing this channel I love this channel for giving knowledge and not even a single ad

[@TurboBronco239]

One of my favourite narrators :)

[@protohale]

Elysia chlorotica is a type of slug that can produce its own food and photosynthesize just like a plant. It lives in salt marshes along the east coast of North America and can go about a year without eating. Elysia can both consume food, like animals, and produce it through photosynthesis, like plants. There are more than 70 species of slugs that steal chloroplasts from their food. The process is similar to that which led to the origin of all plants, when single-celled animals ate tiny cyanobacteria inside their own cells and became photosynthetic.

[@AbhinavSingh-nl7ov]

Never imagined that somethings of this sort exits. ThankYou TED-Ed

[@jibberwocky4054]

TED-Ed you did it again, this is fantastic

[@Anya-wl4yw]

Ted-ed's animation never disappoints . So impressive 👏

[@Sparky579]

The Demon of pure reasoning teaching me about about a slug is the most oddly specific thing I've ever seen.

[@helmutzollner5496]

Never knew about mixoclasts. Amazing. Thank you

[@sushilskolia]

The best thing i ever did in my life is finding this channel. Would love to be part of this someday……

[@titaniumtoad2448]

damn, this could be used for future astronauts exploring space

[@Ruby-jq7ty]

I'm curious, how do you could they could be useful in this application?

[@ValerieFinnerty]

This is wonderful, and I plan to use it with my biology students, but I will need to remind them that algae are not plants!

[@lyssasletters3232]

Glad someone commented on this!

[@mirjanbouma]

What are they? Part of a separate group?

[@lyssasletters3232]

@@mirjanbouma they are eukaryotic organisms that do not fit into the definition of plant or animal (although I’m not sure if some algae are considered fungi). Last I checked, algae were considered protists.

[@josequiles7430]

From a taxonomic standpoint, only brown algae aren't plants. Red and green algae are, because they are part of Archaeplastida(equivalent to kingdom Plantae)

[@Sol_Smiley]

"but why would a leaf want to walk?" -Bingo Heeler

[@kitty_gamer23]

the animation style was very sweet, i like it

[@Xelaria]

Are Venus fly traps a type of mixotroph?

[@technologicalMayhem]

They are.

[@abdullahak2204]

Really interesting!

[@lizazagirova]

Amazing creature! Great animation and story telling

[@Andrew_Tatertot]

these slugs take you are what you eat to a whole new level

[@TheEudaemonicPlague]

I'd almost forgotten, but this video has reminded me. In the seventies, my grandfather was one of many people who bought into the idea that taking chlorophyll pills (tablets?) would do wonderful things for you. I loved looking at all the crazy things he had hanging from nails in his garage. I've turned out a bit like him--if I can't find something I need, because I'm so disorganized, I often just go buy another, ending up with several of the items. But he was generous enough, so some of those extra items he bought, he gave to me. He might have given me some chlorophyll pills, if I'd been interested, but I was convinced they were a scam.

[@sator6754]

The devs for sure need to nerf this, this is way too OP.

[@daforkgaming3320]

If you think this is OP you should revise previous patch notes and other builds. Some jelly fish can be immortal, and if they’re about to die of old age they can immediately reset their age and go back to a child. NGL this is kind of underpowered. Next time earth gets a balance patch they should buff this so mixotrophs can survive fully on one form of food, whether that’s making their own through photosynthesis or eating other organisms, and not a mix of both

[@TheGoukaruma]

If it was OP then it would be more common. It's a trade off like most things.

[@rose7777]

This is SIMPLY BRILLIANT!!! Thnks for this awesome video

[@m34nb34n]

That's so cool! I never heard of these before.

[@djfernando16]

Yeah, I know quite a few plant people. I'm even raising 2 of them. Can't wait for them to grow up and synthetize their own food for a change.

[@Witchofthewoods.]

Always so very interesting and exotic. Extraordinary is definitely the word to describe these creatures. What a great video!! I loved it.

[@jnicoulakos]

Yes, they did a great job!

[@Hansgame]

thank you that you told us in the first minute that this animal "isnt" a plant like your title suggests, but just "lives" like one. saved me 4 min of my life. other animals do this too, no need to waste my time with a video about this.

[@user-nk8zx1yw8s]

bro is a living contradiction

[@tricktrick4940]

Animation aside, the sound effects of each moment are appreciable

[@alokedas4515]

The single celled Euglena also does the same. It is both an autograph and Hetarotroph.

[@alainaz7713]

Imagine how much easier and cheaper our lives would be if humans were autotrophs 😂

[@alissa3071]

Getting the notification for this video upload and /immediately/ watching it with "Bulbasaur?!" being my only thought

[@olgierdogden4742]

Fascinating and educational. Hmm, and as for the the fungi I’ll keep an eye and ear out for the connection, as they are essential to life and it’s utility within it.

[@dharmicpunch]

Humans: Most evolved species on the planet Elysia: Hold my Choloroplast (which I stole from a plant) ... I am afraid of the day they declare "War For The Planet Of Elysia"

[@agnosticmuslim6341]

Do you think these animals after millions of years would give rise to walking, talking, conscious animals that could photosynthesise? Fascinating!

[@ActionGamerAaron]

Possible is one thing, likely is another.

[@midimusicforever]

Quite amazing!

[@wa5657]

oh. my god. ever since i learned that animals and plants differ in just modes of obtaining energy, i was wondering about carnivorous plants, and i couldn't find any info on this specific topic but now this video not only gave me an animal who can photosynthesize by itself, but a direction for further research (mixotrophs)!! thanks!!

[@OtavioVeras]

I know it's TED-Ed's format but I find it underwhelming when the video is about a peculiar animal or plant and we are only shown drawings and cartoon of the specimen instead of showing an actual photo or video of it. Now I'll have to Google this leaf-like animal just to see what it looks like while a better video would already show it.

[@erensatik]

TED-Ed > TED

[@razi_man]

I have seen this slug before, very nice.

[@jakeh764]

Wow. This is life changing :-)

[@TheUniqueChelle]

When you have an identity crisis

[@DeathMonky22]

the animation is masterful

[@KS-og7zj]

Such a fascinating video

[@rozhagholami3013]

I loved the animation style and all the cool information!! Everybody thank mr ted talk

[@bobbystanley8580]

Really blows my mind

[@BienvenidoAlHoloceno]

Getting some really cool Subnautica vibes from the music. Great video!

[@inkonmyhands]

not the most original comment but, these kinds of videos genuinely teach me more in 5mins than any biology class at school.

[@steveleamont]

Amazing creations!

[@michaelbradley7529]

Would be nice if an actual photographic image of the slug was included in the presentation.

[@ashthealien3621]

Love the animation!!

[@matthill367]

I like this format

[@nelsongonzales1263]

This is immensely interesting

[@chriskelso723]

Mixotrophs are my favorite animal. Nature is awesome.

[@Opti234]

Beautiful animation :)

[@purpleplant3842]

I know this one! It's a snail which eats so many plants that it sooner or later can do photosynthesis itself!

[@Chris.1876]

Great Video! Please could you provide the references you have used in the video description section?

[@JARJCC97]

I live in Pennsylvania and I never heard of these slugs that is incredible

[@DhruvRajSharma]

Beautiful! ❤️

[@amazingsupergirl7125]

I get insects every summer that look exactly like a green leaf. So much that my parents didn’t realize in the 30 years they’ve lived here. They’re amazing!

[@peterharrington8709]

Mind blowing evolution.