These are called “sea bunnies” (jorunna parva) not an actual bunny nor mammal, but actually sea slug… adorable sea slug! They graze algae on the sea floor peacefully, and only grow to about 2,5cm, how adorable is that!
Haven’t posted a video in a while. We went tidepooling yesterday and saw these adorably tiny thick-horned Nudibranchs I am definitely obsessed (and had a hard time leaving them behind haha)
Look at the spikes on this one! This Frosted Nudibranch (dirona albolineata) was super intimidating at first - but I actually loved playing with the many layering “spikes”. Crazy to see all the forms these creatures come in
My hands have decided to cooperate today so I’m taking some time to work on more Salish sea Nudibranchs while I listen to crooked kingdom! Did anyone else binge Shadow and Bone on Netflix?
Asteronotus hepaticus is a large dorid nudibranch, growing up to 20cm long! It’s a picky eater, and only eats sponges. It can be found throughout the Indo-West Pacific.
Phyllodesmium poindimiei is a brightly coloured aeolid nudibranch that can grow up to 5 cm long. It feeds on soft corals, and can be found throughout the Indo-Pacific. P. poindimiei near Hawaii eat a specific type of octocoral that is invasive to the area, so the slugs’ use for controlling invasive octocoral abundance has been studied - though the results were not promising.
Goniobranchus tritos is a dorid nudibranch found by the Maldives. It can grow to around 4.5 cm long, and is closely related to the Fried Egg Nudibranch (which, if you follow the link, you’ll see I said it was Chromodoris annulata - the whole Goniobranchusgenus used to be considered part of the Chromodorisgenus!)
Aeolidia loui, aka the ‘shag-rug nudibranch’, is an aeolid nudibranch known to live around the west coast of North America. They feed on sea anemones, and can even use the algal symbionts originally within the anemones they eat for extra sugar production!
Chromolaichma sedna is a dorid nudibranch found in the eastern Pacific, though it has been introduced through human activity to the western Atlantic. It grows around 6 cm long, and its distinctive red rhinophores and mantle margin earn this species its common name - the ‘Red-Tipped Sea Goddess’.
Amphorina pallida is an aeolid nudibranch found in the northern Atlantic ocean. They grow about 1-2cm long, and feed on hydroids. The species’ name comes from the first one of these slugs found, which was quite pale (‘pallid’), though often this species is colourful!
Hypselodoris maculosa is a dorid nudibranch found throughout the Indo-West Pacific. While this one taxonomic group was thought to contain a variety of different markings, recent DNA data suggests seven distinct species were under the same name. These slugs grow about 3cm long, and feed on sponges.
Notobryon wardi, also known as the Iridescent Nudibranch, is a nudibranch found in the southeast Atlantic and the Indo-West Pacific. It grows to about 3cm long, and feeds on hydroids.
Dendrodoris denisoni is a dorid nudibranch found in the Indo-West Pacific. It is a relatively large nudibranch, growing from 5 to 10cm long! Like the ’orange peel nudibranch’, this slug does not have a radula, and eats sponges by secreting digestive enzymes directly onto their food.
The Alabaster Nudibranch, also known as the White-Lined Dirona or Frosted Nudibranch (Dirona albolineata) is a large (18cm) translucent species of nudibranch. Feeding on small crustaceans, snails, and bryozoans, it lives in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, all along the west coast of North America.
Fun fact: these guys can also be found with a distinct lavender colour, usually around Vancouver Island!
Limenandra nodosa is an aeolid nudibranch that grows to around 1 to 2cm in length. While it was previously thought to occur throughout the tropics, recent molecular studies have determined that L. nodosa can only be found in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, while a visually similar species Limenandra confusa can be found in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Corambe pacifica is a dorid nudibranch found along the west coast of North America. It grows around 5mm long and can be hard to find due to how well it camouflages onto patches of bryozoans, its prey.
Spurilla neapolitana is an aeolid nudibranch that can grow to be about 7cm long. It lives in the western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Mediterranean Sea, but has also been found that in the Pacific ocean near Mexico. In fact, S. neapolitana probably includes around 3 separate species under the same name! These slugs eat sea anemones, and use both their prey’s stinging cnidocytes and symbiotic algae for defence and nutrition.
Doriopsilla carneola is a dorid nudibranch also known as the ‘Orange Peel Nudibranch’ (not to be confused with the ’Orange Peel Dorid’). It doesn’t have a radula (a toothy tongue-like feeding apparatus), despite that feature being present in most molluscs; Instead, the slug secretes digestive enzymes directly onto its food (sponge), and slurps up the result!
Melibe arianeae is a nudibranch recently discovered in 2013 along the coast of Florida. It has been found to be around 1cm long. Like other species in the Melibe genus, a distinct oral hood allows the slug to envelop and consume its prey (small crustaceans).
Doto floridicola is a Dendronotid nudibranch that can be found in the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean as well as the Mediterranean Sea. It feeds on a specific species of hydroid, and grows to be about 1cm long.
Cadlina luteomarginata is a dorid nudibranch found along the west coast of North America, from Alaska to Mexico. It can grow up to 5cm long. The diet of this slug consists solely of sponges, and the nudibranch itself is often eaten by sea stars (many of which are not picky eaters).
Rostanga pulchra is a dorid nudibranch that lives on the west coast of North and South America, from Alaska to Chile. It grows around 2 cm long, and is often found on top of the red sponges it feeds on. Appropriately enough, a common name for this slug is the ‘Red Sponge Nudibranch’.
Berthella martensi is a sidegill slug (not nudibranch) that lives in the Indo-West Pacific. It grows about 6cm long, and feeds on sponges and tunicates. Unlike nudibranchs, this slug’s gills are not on its back - instead they are found on its right side, which you can see in the picture.
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