Blink and you’ll miss them, but catch a glimpse and you might think you’ve discovered an alien lifeform. Nudibranchs are the ocean’s most flamboyant residents: tiny, slow-moving sea slugs adorned in neon colours, wild patterns and surreal shapes. Like living confetti, they drift across the seafloor. For divers in the know, spotting one is a very special moment.
These vibrant creatures come in an astonishing array of shapes, sizes and colours. Yet despite their dazzling appearance, nudibranchs can be surprisingly difficult to find, often camouflaging perfectly with their surroundings.
They inhabit a wide range of marine environments, from shallow rock pools and coral reefs to sandy seabeds and the dark depths more than 2,000 metres below the surface. As benthic animals, they spend their lives crawling along the ocean floor.
But nudibranchs are more than just a visual delight. As carnivores, they play a vital role in the marine food web, feeding on sea anemones, sponges, soft corals, tunicates and other invertebrates, while also serving as prey for other sea slugs, crabs, lobsters, turtles and even humans. Most of their time is spent grazing or hunting for food.
To eat, many rely on a specialised, toothed structure called a radula, used to scrape or tear food from surfaces. Some species go further, injecting prey with digestive enzymes before sucking out the liquefied tissues. Others have developed a remarkable partnership with symbiotic algae, harnessing sunlight to produce energy in a process similar to corals.
Beyond their ecological role, nudibranchs are gaining recognition as important indicator species. Their populations respond rapidly to changes in the environment, making them valuable barometers of ocean health. A sudden increase or decline in nudibranch numbers can signal broader environmental shifts, particularly those driven by climate change. As coral reefs — one of their preferred habitats — are among the most vulnerable ecosystems, the presence of nudibranchs can reveal much about their condition and resilience.
Fast fact: NUDI'S WERE UNKNOWN UNTIL THE 18TH CENTURY
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