Nudibranchs mating. Two nudibranchs or true sea slugs, Halgerda malesso, mating on the seabed. They are hermaphrodites (both male and female) and tran

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Nudibranchs mating. Two nudibranchs or true sea slugs, Halgerda malesso, mating on the seabed. They are hermaphrodites (both male and female) and transfer sperm to each other by a tube (centre). These sea slugs have orange-tipped body protrusions and a network of orange body lines. Nudibranchs (meaning naked gills) are sea slugs without a shell or true gills. The gills (breathing structures, black and white) are seen at upper right and far left. The black and white rhinophores for sensing chemicals in the water are seen at centre and upper left. Nudibranchs are poisonous carnivores which feed on invertebrates.

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Size: 3555px × 2480px
Photo credit: © MATTHEW OLDFIELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animals, carnivore, carnivorous, floor, gastropods, gills, halgerda, hermaphrodites, invertebrates, malesso, marine, mating, molluscs, naked, nature, nudibranchs, ocean, poisonous, reproduction, rhinophores, sea, seabed, slugs, true, underwater, wildlife, zoology