Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Spanish Shawl.





Yep, another nudi. This nudibranch or "sea slug", Flabellina iodinea, is from off the coast of southern California. It is also one of the few nudibranchs that has a common name; most are just known by their scientific name. It is very similar in behavior to the Nembrotha kubaryana, a nudibranch I posted last month. The rhinophores (highlighted in the last picture) are used to detect odors. This particular species has red coloration in them from the pigment of their prey -- much like how flamingos are pink because of the krill they eat.

The tentacles on their body help them camouflage into coral and anemone but also help them sense their surroundings and trick predators into thinking their are poisonous.

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