NUDIBRANCHS

Nudibranchs, or "naked gill" are the marine version of the terrestrial garden slug. They come in many shapes and sizes, and the majority are brightly colored as a warning that they are poisonous or taste bad. They are grazers, and use their radulas to scrape off bryzoans and other marine sponges they prefer. Their beautiful cirri (projections on the side of the body) are the way nudibranchs breathe underwater - their lungs have evolved to be external structures with increased surface area. The challenge is to get their rhinophores (antennae) perfectly in focus for later identification of discrete species.