[citation needed] It is believed that Elysia maoria live a long planktonic stage after hatching, but not much is known about these creatures.

Elysia maoria is an herbivore that utilizes its radula with a single row of teeth to latch onto algae and suck fluids out of it.

It can be found making habitats and laying eggs on top of the pads of Codium, a common green alga.

The fertilized ova then “pass to the exterior through the glandular oviduct where they receive an albumen coat and a membrane and are bound into a ribbon by two mucous coats.”[3] The larvae have been photographed living on Codium species in Sacoglossans flattened spirals, which are long egg ribbons that protect the eggs until the larvae are ready to hatch.

Their penis lacks a hollow spine, unlike other Elysia species, leading scientists to question how it is able to penetrate the female.