Mauritius100
spanish dancer
According to Wikipedia the Spanish dancer, or Hexabranchus sanguineus ( which means "blood-colored six-gills" ) is a dorid nudibranch or seaslug. It is one of the biggest nudibranches and some have been found to be over 40cm in length. This one might have been only 20 cm or so.
Wikipedia explains it better than I can. "This nudibranch has two very different modes of locomotion: crawling and swimming. When it crawls, the wide edges of the mantle (the parapodia) are rolled up close to the body. When the animal swims however, the red parapodia unfurl, and are whirled through the water in a spectacular undulating motion, propelling the animal forwards.
The animal was given the common name "Spanish dancer" because the whirling swimming movement, and the red color of the mantle, are reminiscent of the skirt movements of a flamenco dancer."
In the comment box: a Spanish Dancer crawling and a Spanish Dancer egg case
spanish dancer
According to Wikipedia the Spanish dancer, or Hexabranchus sanguineus ( which means "blood-colored six-gills" ) is a dorid nudibranch or seaslug. It is one of the biggest nudibranches and some have been found to be over 40cm in length. This one might have been only 20 cm or so.
Wikipedia explains it better than I can. "This nudibranch has two very different modes of locomotion: crawling and swimming. When it crawls, the wide edges of the mantle (the parapodia) are rolled up close to the body. When the animal swims however, the red parapodia unfurl, and are whirled through the water in a spectacular undulating motion, propelling the animal forwards.
The animal was given the common name "Spanish dancer" because the whirling swimming movement, and the red color of the mantle, are reminiscent of the skirt movements of a flamenco dancer."
In the comment box: a Spanish Dancer crawling and a Spanish Dancer egg case