Some photos of my favorite underwater critters -- nudibranchs

1. The following slides focus on one of my favorite marine animals, though one which most people have never heard of – nudibranchs. Nudibranchs belong to an order of invertebrate animals known as opisthobranchs, which include sea slugs and flatworms. Members of the mollusc phylum, there are literally thousands of different species, the majority of which are found in the Pacific, especially the south Pacific. Slow-moving and often strikingly colored, these “ocean jewels” make great subjects for underwater photography… except for the fact that most are only 1-2” in length, and thus require high-quality cameras with macro lenses. [They also have some interesting biology, I should mention.] Please note that none of the following pictures were taken by me. I do not own an underwater camera, let alone one suitable enough to photograph little nudibranchs. Instead, I have perused the Web for suitable photographs of a few of the species which I did see on my dives. I hope you enjoy them – I’m always happy to share images of other, even more stunning nudibranchs with anyone interested. Rick Goodman, 2007

2. Chromodoris kuniei

3. Chromodoris kuniei

4. Chromodoris kuniei

5. Chromodoris kuniei

6. Chromodoris kuniei

7. Chromodoris sp.

8. Chromodoris hintuanensis

9. Nembrotha kubaryana

10. Nembrotha kubaryana

11. Chelidonura sp.

12. Mexichromis multituberculata

13. Nembrotha chamberlaini

14. Nembrotha chamberlaini

16. Nembrotha purpureolineata

17. Nembrotha purpureolineata

18. Nembrotha rutilans

19. Nembrotha rutilans

20. Tambja morosa

21. Jorunna funebris

22. Jorunna funebris