A genus of small, planktonic marine mollusks (pteropods) that drift in ocean currents, part of the food chain for marine organisms.
From 'Aeolus' (god of winds, alluding to their drifting movement) + '-ina' (taxonomic genus suffix). Named to reflect their drift-dependent lifestyle in wind-and-current-driven seas.
These tiny creatures are invisible to most people but critical to ocean food webs—whales and seabirds depend on them, and they're now tracked by scientists as indicators of climate change because they're so sensitive to ocean conditions.
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