Came across this Short-tailed Nudibranch at Fossil Beach, Beaumaris. It was only in about 50cm of water. These are among our commonest seen nudibranchs (a type of sea slug), probably owing to their size and striking colour.
They grow to about 15cm long and are usually yellow or orange, though sometimes more red/purple too.
You can easily find them cruising about on pylons or over rocks.
They are carnivorous, feeding on sponges and they absorb their toxins. The little dome behind their gills stores this poison and makes them unpalatable. The gills are the feathery structures just in front and can be retracted to protect them.
Sea slugs have antennae called rhinopores. These enable them to smell their way around the environment. Short-tailed Nudibranchs attract mating partners by excreting sex pheremones and they are hermaphrodite, meaning having both male and female organs. So in the unlikely event of finding a mate, they double their chances of reproduction!
More about the importance of snails and slugs!
Snails ate my letter from Sir David Attenborough! Menace or a lesson in survival?
