Preschoolers: “What do we call this crazy swimming creature?”

3 Comments

1. Tom of AskaNaturalist.com on May 1, 2019 at 2:43 pm

       Hi Mary, thanks for writing! That’s a swimming nudibranch, or sea slug. Nudibranches are mollusks that normally crawl on the bottom, but when disturbed, some species can swim! I’m about 90% sure the nudibranch in the Hawaii video is a Spanish Dancer, Hexabranchus sanguineus. The exact coloration is variable, they are usually orangey/yellow and are found all over the South Pacific, including Hawaii. Here’s another video of a similar one from Australia:

   Tom

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2. Mary on May 1, 2019 at 2:48 pm

      Thanks. I really like that video. I am going to try to show it to the kids. We don’t have internet in the classroom but maybe I can show it with my phone. Mary

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3. Rose Iannone on May 1, 2019 at 8:47 pm

   They are also called Sea Serapes. Named after the loose cloaks the Spanish wear and resemble this swimming nudibranch while blowing in the wind. Also a Matador’s Cape which can move like this when manipulated by the Matador during a bull fight. It shows his bravery because he stands still in front of the bull while making the cape swirl, which is supposed to entice the bull to charge.

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