The Rainbow Nudibranch (Dendronotus iris) is a terrifying beast of hellish fire and infernal flame that resides on the western coast of North America.
There are red ones, orange ones, pink, purple and white ones, and I guess that’s why they’re called Rainbow Nudibranches. But they all look like they’re on fire!
The flames are really branching cerata that allow this large sea slug to absorb all the oxygen it needs. The very biggest individuals can reach as much as a foot long, but they’re usually about a third of that.
Rainbow Nudibranches feed on the tentacles of tube anemones, which are a bunch of creatures that look like sea anemones but live in a tube.
The Rainbow Nudibranch pounces on them and won’t let go until they’ve bitten off some tentacles, even if they get dragged halfway down the tube!
…Images: Ed Bierman/Patrick Webster
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