"ACERA or THE WITCHES' DANCE" "High tide at Carantec in Brittany," "As the water recedes, it reveals mudflats as far as the eye can see," "Here one finds little balls,- Acera, a kind of mollusk," "fully extended, the creature measures up to 2 inch length," "It has two eyes on its head," "Underneath, a deep furrow houses the senses of touch, taste, and smell," "A shell in the rear protects the internal organs," "The animal slides along the ground on an extended foot towing its shell by fits and starts, like a snail," "A fold of skin forms a cloak around its body, allowing it to move and swim as well with its shell serving as ballast," "As with other animals dancing is a way of finding a partner, but touch, taste, and smell also play a part in the quest," "Here they're slightly speeded up," "Reproductive organs are on the right side of the neck, so the creature must pivot its neck when introducing it beneath a partner's cloak," "Being hermaphroditic creatures, each animal functions successively as both male and female," "They can also form chains, Here is a chain of three," "The one in the middle functions as both male and female simultaneously," "The animal in front goes on about its business -- eating mud, for Ìnstance," "Here's a chain of five," "Eggs are laid continuously, even during intercourse," "Each Acera discharges its eggs by movements of its neck," "Eggs are laid in a string about a foot long containing approximately 3,000 eggs," "ln each egg, a larva develops, surrounded by vibrating cilia that help it move," "After the eggs hatch, the cilia enable the larvae, 1/20 mm Ìn size to scatter carried along by the current," "They will be prey for other marine animals," "The survivors drop to the bottom, their cilia capable of catching only microscopic food," "The foot on which the animal will crawl from now on continues to develop," "A few weeks later, the growing cloak will spread out around the body," "After six months, the young Acera will approach adult size, becoming "mom and dad", able to reproduce for a while before it dies."