Lecture Notes: Sea Slugs (Nudibranchs)

Introduction

• Speaker shares personal experience with a new tattoo.
• Introduction to favorite animals, focusing on sea slugs (nudibranchs).

General Information about Sea Slugs

• Technical Name: Nudibranchs (means "naked gills").
• Habitat: Found in oceans worldwide, mostly shallow tropical waters.
• Size: Generally small (~2 inches), with exceptions reaching 2 feet.
• Appearance: Vibrant colors used for camouflage or aposematism (warning coloration).
• Fossil Record: Poor due to soft-bodied nature; if extinct, we would have no record of them.
• Reproductive Feature: All are hermaphroditic (possessing both male and female reproductive organs).

Notable Types of Sea Slugs

1. Sea Bunny

• Description: Small, fluffy, round; considered the cutest nudibranch.
• Size: About 1 inch long, discovered in 1938 off Japan.
• Unique Features:
  • Covered in carophyllidia (sensory structures).
  • Rhinophores (bunny ears) sense chemicals, not sound.
• Diet: Eats toxic sponges, becomes toxic itself ("you are what you eat").

2. Aeolid Nudibranchs

• Appearance: More prominent serrata; considered badass.
• Diet: Eat mydarians (jellyfish, sea anemones).
• Defense Mechanism:
  • Immune to nematocysts (stinging cells); absorb toxins for their own defense.

3. Chocolate Aeolid

• Scientific Name: Cucinella coca-chroma.

4. Undertaker Nudibranch

• Discovery: Found in deep sea near whale bones (2018).

5. Blue Dragon (Glaucus Atlanticus)

• Description: Stunning inch-long nudibranch.
• Diet: Eats Portuguese man-of-war; absorbs and uses their stinging nematocysts for defense.

6. Leaf Sheep Sea Slug

• Ability: Can photosynthesize (kleptoplasty) by incorporating chloroplasts from algae.
• Related Groups: Sacoglossans, other species with similar abilities.

Honorable Mentions

• Lion's Mane Nudibranch: Mouth like a net, emits watermelon candy odor.
• Spanish Dancer: Up to a foot long, flamboyant movements.
• Disposable Penis Nudibranch: Uses a segmented penis during mating.
• Donut Nudibranch: Appears edible; resembles pasta dishes.

Conclusion

• Encourages audience feedback about sea slugs and personal favorites.
• Teases upcoming episode related to the History of Life on Earth, moving beyond dinosaurs.
• Promotes Patreon for behind-the-scenes updates and community engagement.
• Final message: Stay curious and keep learning!