Nudibranchs

Nudibranchs are the most colorful creatures on earth. and as such, became divers little obssesion. they are hard to find but the satisfaction is great! the nudibranchs amazing colours, which are different in every one of the 3000 (!!) species, indicate poisness nature. Although these magnificent creatures dont make their own poisen, but gather ("steal") it from the poisness coral they feed on. Dive slowly and look carefully and you will often spot these colourful little critters amongst the soft corals.

In the course of evolution, sea slugs have lost their shell because they have developed other defense mechanisms. Their anatomy may resemble the texture and color of the surrounding plants, allowing them to camouflage (cryptic behavior). Others, as seen especially well on Chromodorids, have an intense and bright coloring, which warns that they are distasteful or poisonous.

A nudibranch (pronounced) nudiebrank is a member of of soft-bodied, shell-less marine gastropod mollusks, which are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms. The word "nudibranch" comes from the Latin nudus, naked, and the Greek brankhia, gills. Nudibranchs are often casually called "sea slugs", a non-scientific term which has led some people to assume that every sea slug is a nudibranch.

The nudibranchs posses both male and female organs. When mating, they fertilize each other and bothe will lay a beutifull round pattern of eggs that you can sometime spot on the reef. this is a good indication that there is a nudibranch around.

Feeding
Nudibranchs are carnivorous. Some feed on sponges, others on hydroids, others on bryozoans, and some are cannibals, eating other sea slugs, or, on some occasions, members of their own species. There is also a group that feeds on and barnacles. They even sometimes feed on anemones.

For a fantastic colorful website of images go to http://www.sergeyphoto.com/underwater/nudibranchs.html

NEWS FLASH!!
New unidentified Whitsunday nudibranch. In a location that we prefer to keep secret Errol Noyan a senior Dive Instructy for Islandive has found as yet unamed species of nudibranch