I love the ocean. I love the ocean. I love the ocean.

INFODUMPING YAPCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dorid: Little ‘ears’ and ‘tail’ Doto: lots of gills all over its body, very interesting. Starting off, what are Nudibranchs? Aren’t they just slugs? Yes, and no. Nudibranchs, (Translated from Latin as naked gills) are shell less mollusks, as they have evolved to no longer want or need them. What makes them so different from sea slugs is dependent on many factors, such as their size, gills, color, defense, and habitat. Sea slugs also belong to the Gastropoda class, while Nudibranchs are so special that they have an entire subclass called Nudibranchia. These are some freak ass animals, as they are also hermaphrodites, meaning they possess both male and female parts. Their reproductive organs are on the right side of their bodies, so when they engage in reproduction, they line up so that both right sides are facing the other and insert a penis into each other. Freak. Ass. Mollusks. After they’re done, both Nudibranchs crawl away pregnant, good for them. After mating, Nudibranchs lay ribbon-like eggs on things like sponges, as they feed on these things. The number of eggs they lay can range from just a few to 25 thousand eggs, which contain toxins that the Nudibranch has consumed as a defense mechanism. After being born, the baby Nudibranch is in a larval state and possesses a shell, which they will later shed in later life. For the first few months, the planktonic larvae will drift mindlessly throughout the ocean, living their best life until they settle to the ocean floor, and complete a metamorphosis, turning into the Nudibranch we all know and love. This is the veliger form. Adolescent Nudibranch will possess less cerata, which are the appendages on the Nudibranchs bodies, but they will grow eventually. Sadly, Nudibranchs do not have that long of a lifespan, typically ranging from a few weeks to a year. At most, Nudibranchs can live for up to two years, but these long-living Nudibranchs are usually found in deeper waters. The deepest found Nudibranch is Bathydevius Caudactylus, found in the deep sea at 7220 feet. They inhabit the Pacific Ocean in the bathypelagic zone, where sunlight can’t reach. They have been most seen in the Californian Monterey Canyon. Unlike most Nudibranchs, that tend to live in the shallows or reefs. These Nudibranchs are also bioluminescent, though it’s common for animals of that depth to have bioluminescence, I’ll still applaud the little Nudibranch for credit where it’s due. Another thing about this one is that it can let go of its body parts like how a lizard does. When threatened, scientists observed the Nudibranch light up in its bioluminescent glow and shoot off part of its ‘tail’ to distract predators. Scientists also noted that this Nudibranch is vastly different from others and made an entirely new category for it called “Bathydeviidae.” Bathydevius Caudactylus is one of the larger nudibranchs, averaging about six inches long, unlike the common length of 1-5 CM. On the other side of the coin, we have the well known Glaucus atlanticus or more commonly known as The Blue Sea Dragon. Blue Sea Dragons are found pelagic zone, or the open ocean, as they utilize a very interesting mode of transport. These small dragons have a small gas bubble that makes it easy to float, meaning that they tend to float on the surface of the water unlike other Nudibranchs. But what is most interesting about these dragons is their diet! Blue Sea Dragons eat what is known as the Portuguese Man ‘O War, a very toxic siphonophore. The dragons absorb the toxins from the Man ‘O War, and recycle them into their skin, making them toxic to the touch, and in some cases, deadly to humans. The Blue Sea Dragon is usually around 1.2 Inches and can live up to a year. These Nudibranchs are usually found in tropical climates, floating on the surface of the water. The Blue Sea Dragons have serrated teeth, as well as a strong bite, allowing it to chip down parts of its prey.