A lion’s mane nudibranch floats gracefully in pitch black waters, surrounded by white particles of marine snow, its oral hood facing down. The wide, paddle-like cerata of the white and semi-transparent nudibranch are spread wide in two rows along its back. Grape-shaped balloons of red algae are poking up into the frame at the bottom of the image.

do you have any pictures or facts to share about sea slugs/nudibranchs?

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Imagine the sweet smell of watermelon candy… underwater???

🤔🍉🌊

Meet the lion’s mane nudibranch, a.k.a. melibe, a stegosaurus-shaped sea slug with a surprisingly sugary scent! While the fruity fragrance of this marvelous mollusk may be alluring to humans, it’s quite off-putting to potential predators, like sea stars and fish.

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We don’t recommend trying to sniff while underwater, but you can find a bouquet of melibes—yes, that’s the collective noun, very spring-vibes—in the Aquarium’s Enchanted Kelp Forest, beneath the Kelp Canopy exhibit. They can also be spotted in kelp forests and eelgrass beds all the way from Alaska to Baja!

A close up of two lion’s mane nudibranchs—one with its paddle-like cerata facing the camera, the other with its oral hood angled half towards the other nudibranch and half towards the camera—as they lie on grape-shaped balloons of red algae at the bottom of the frame. A warm yellow glow radiates from their skin, thanks to the exhibit lighting their semi-translucent bodies.ALT

We’re shore that a nudibranch by any other name would smell as sweet! 👃

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