My local snorkeling spot has been roiled with excitement lately over the appearance of a couple of clumpy nudibranchs. Well, it’s exciting for us.
Nudibranchs (pronounced noo-di-branks or noo-da-branks) are members of the sea slug family. Granted this doesn’t sound too exciting, but nudibranchs are strange and exotic and often wildly colorful. The reason I haven’t posted photos of a nudibranch before is that I’ve never seen one before, let alone got a photo of one. That’s the downside of nudibranchs; they tend to be on the small side. One to three inches is typical for most of them. But clumpy nudibranchs are big, up to 10 inches long. In nudibranch world they’re like King Kong, visible from space.
When they were first spotted, I didn’t see them, but I was on high alert. And then, one day, I saw my first nudibranch. I popped up and called to my wife, only to see her waving at me to come see the nudibranch where she was. So this established that nudibranchs are like buses; you wait and wait and wait, then two come along at the same time. Since then, I’ve seen one or both of them most days I get in the water. Each time I’ve seen either of them they’ve been motoring along at speed, at least for a slug.
Clumpy nudibranchs have some color variations which can be seen in these photos. One has more yellow coloring, the other (second photo) being browner. The order’s name, Nudibranchia, means naked gills. These are the feathery clumps to the rear of the nudibranch. The two protuberances at the front are sensory organs. Clumpy nudibranchs feed mainly on sponges (not the cake variety).
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Wow – great sightings and well captured too. They are such strange creatures and beautiful in their own way.
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This one’s color is quite subdued for a nudibranch. Some are quite stunning, at least from the photos I’ve seen.
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The same excitement I get seeing a new bird or butterfly I have been wanting to photograph. Great shots Graham 😀
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Indeed. I’m always happy to see something new and hopefully get a photo, whether it’s in the water, on land, or in the air.
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Same
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Nudibranchs are interesting creatures. There’s so many variations and colours – it’s amazing. Great pictures
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The colors are great. I’ve been thinking I should try snorkeling some different areas where they’re more common, but these two have been a treat for the regular swimmers around here.
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Are they out of their natural habitat then?
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No, they live in shallow water. It’s just that no one has seen them in this area before, or at least for a long time.
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