Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

Nudibranch Festival

  Borneo [Malaysia and Indonesia] - July 2009

Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text: 

I belong to this category of divers who can stay for long minutes to be ecstatic about a nudibranch. These delicate little sea slugs abound in Mabul and Sipadan.

So called because of their gills, which are naked (the kind of small tuft at the back of the body), nudibranchs are the joy of macro photographers.

Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

The smallest nudis measure a few millimeters. The largest can reach ten centimeters.

Below, the hand of Kayo, one of the guides at Billabong Scubato give you an idea of the size of the most fleshy ones. During our last dive together in Mabul, she kept finding new slugs on dead coral debris, and bringing them to me when I was busy immortalizing others.

Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

When I spot one of these tiny creatures, I can't help but flash it from every angle, trying to capture every detail of their dress, whether it's adorned with ruffles, dread-locks or pustules, depending on the species.

Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.


Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

Nudibranch. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

And then, there are also these other critters that are the flatworms.

They are often confused with nudis, as they like to display a dress with delicate and colorful patterns to ward off their predators. They are more difficult to grasp than nudibranchs. Thinner, more mobile, smaller.

Flat worm. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

Flat worm. Similan Island, Malaysia. July 2009.

A festival, I tell you!

😀

  Borneo [Malaysia and Indonesia] - July 2009

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  1. They look like creatures from outer space. What do they eat? What role do they play in the ecosystem?
    I can't believe there are so many different species and colors.

  2. awesome 😀 I'll spend hours watching them, thanks for these beautiful pictures ❗
    💡 To answer Rolk, nudibranchs eat mainly sponges, ascidians, bryozoans...

  3. @ Helen @Manta @Malene: Ah, I knew you'd like it... And I must say, I'm delighted to find my favorite nude fans, gathered here, under this post. (It's confirmed: nudis are indeed a "girl thing"!)
    🙄

    @RolK: Hi Carole! I'm so glad that nudis tickle your fancy too. That's what's so amazing about these bugs: there are thousands of different species. I get all excited when I come across a little slug I've never seen before, that's for sure... As for your questions about their habits, Laurence has happily added her two cents.
    😉

    @Laurence: Thank you for these indications!!! I confess I would have been hard pressed to answer so precisely.
    🙂

  4. 😮 It's shocking so much sexism!!!! I proclaim it loud and clear: i love nudibranches 😆 And my chick is the same! Ah yes... normal, it's a chick... Unfortunately, I didn't see as many as I would have thought at the Perhentians, only 3 species of Phyllidia, including Phyllidia shirinae... the one next to Kayo's hand.
    Well, great photos Corinne! I really like the first one.
    See you soon 😉

  5. Seeking themes for wordpress, I came across this site, and what happiness!
    As a diver myself (it's one of the main themes of my site), I was ecstatic to see all these beautiful photos. How can simple little bugs like this be so colorful and different ❗ ❓ ❓ ❗

    As I'm not lucky enough to be able to do the world's diving spots, your blog delights me with dry eyes ... before the wet, I hope.

  6. @Anthony: Chic, finally a boy who reacts! About time!!!
    😛

    @Corinne: Here, another Corinne! Thank you for your note, and if you want, you can take your card to the nudist fan club with the others ...
    😆

    @ Marie-Julie: Oh my, nudis, there's no denying it, they make life so much more beautiful!
    😉

    @Bizut: "Ecstatic"... Oh dear, I smell a potential new member for our future nudie fan club!!!!
    🙂

  7. Hello Corinne ...
    ... or dear colleague, if I may, because I also work for Ouest France (publihebdos) as a PAO advertising artist.
    It's been a while since I discovered your blog, which is one of my favorites and which I've referenced in my own blog. I'm not lucky enough to be able to explore the seabed like you (for medical reasons), so I make do with landscapes and a bit of snorkeling (and that's not bad!), but I travel through my husband's diving photos, which I then sort and retouch. My only regret is that he has trouble getting into macro photography. How many times have I tried to get him to find me nudibranchs, seahorses and other small creatures, but to no avail... Now I'm happy with your superb photos!!!! Thank you so much and I wish you all the best !
    Kti 😉
    Ktidreamblog.wordpress.com

  8. @Kti: Many thanks, Kti!!! Between colleagues, we can even be on first-name terms, can't we? I'll be sure to check out your blog!!! Count on me to keep flashing the strange little creatures that inhabit the underwater world... Underwater macro, and nudibranchs in particular, I love!
    🙂

  9. So go ahead, flashouille flashouille! Hopefully, it'll spark something in my husband, especially as he's so patient underwater, it's a wonder he only loves sharks and other nasty creatures. Macro must be a girl's thing... Besides, nudibranchs remind me of Spanish ballerina dresses!
    Regards - Kti 🙂

  10. @Kti: But nudis are fascinating. Don't say it's a girl thing, Anthony (see above) will protest.
    By the way, in relation to your comment, there's a flatworm (it's not a nudi, unless I'm mistaken) that's called a "Spanish dancer" because when it swims, it undulates like the ruffles of an Andalusian dress. I haven't managed to flash this little beast yet!
    In any case, I'll be posting some new "macro" images in the next few days, and you can give your husband the link...
    😀

    (Alternatively, in the meantime, you can click on the "nudibranch" tag in the "Browse by keyword" section in the right-hand column).
    😉

  11. Sorry about Anthony, I hadn't seen it. In fact, what I meant was that women might be more receptive to the harmony of colors and shapes in nudis, given their more or less pronounced natural penchant for frills and make-up. By the way, my husband hates going to clothes stores with me! 😉 On the other hand, I think he flashed a Spanish dancer in the photos he took in Egypt.
    Have a good weekend - see you next time

  12. Girls prefer nudibranchs and boys big sharks ????
    Not so sure... they like little fleas... appreciate what's small and cute too... 😉

    The beautiful Spanish dancer is in the family of nudibranchs, although I too think her dance resembles that of the flat worm swimming gracefully.
    The Spanish dancer is more precisely a "hexabranchus", of the "sanguineus" variety.

  13. Nudibranch fan too ... 8)
    I enjoy your articles and photos. I've never met the beautiful blue sea slug before.
    On the other hand, during one and the same night dive, I followed 3 "Spanish dancers" (Hexabranchus sanguineus) with plump chubbies and a full tuft of gills on their backs, the largest of which measured 32cm!
    (his head is here: »Hexabranchus Sanguineus).
    Beautiful Sunday in Rennes, Corinne. True, it's not very hot 😉

  14. @Kti: Ahem. Let's beware of generalizations. I know boys who are very sensitive to color, who like to store for clothes, and who appreciate the delicacy of nudibranchs... Thanks for the link to the photo. It looks like a Spanish dancer, but I can't say for sure, as I've never seen her with my own eyes.
    🙂

    @Manta: Thank goodness you're here to correct my mistakes. The Spanish dancer is indeed a nudibranch! Confusion on my part due to erroneous explanations that I must have heard and am stupidly repeating, but mainly because I've never seen it with my own eyes...
    Well, I'm a girl and I like big sharks too!
    😉

    @Siratus: Great, thanks for the link to the photo (there was a little bug in the address, I reformatted it cleanly). As for me, it's the Spanish dancer I haven't had the chance to admire yet. But I will!
    The sun did return to Rennes for the weekend... it's not a heatwave, but it's better than before, it feels a bit more like summer!
    😀

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