- Chromodoris tritos Nudibranch mating pair
Nudibranchs are such beautiful little creatures with fantastic coloration and color patterns that they do not deserve to be called a sea slug. I think they look more like jewels of gems of the sea. Soft bodied and slow moving, these mollusks lack an external shell, so their external gills are exposed, which gives them their name. Nudibranch literally means naked gills. As Nudibranchs evolved, they lost their shell while developing other defense mechanisms. Their bodies may resemble the texture and color of their surroundings giving them the need camouflage. Others, such as the Chromodiris family of Nudibranchs, have bright vivid coloring warning of their distasteful or poisonous skin. Most Nudibranchs are small, an inch or less, with the largest being about twelve inches. I have seen striped, poka dot, bright blue to bright pink, and a stunning variety of colors, patterns, and shapes. There are over 1, 000 described species of Nudibranchs and new ones are being found continually.
I had the privilege of observing a fox family for a few days in the early April. The mom made her den near Lake Michigan at the top of a hill, in a heavily populated area. They are an attractive animal with a rusty reddish body, white underpants, chin, and throat, and a long bushy tail with a white tip. They have prominent pointed ears. The backs of ears, lower legs, and feet are black. The distinguishing feature which sets them apart from all other fox species is the white-tipped tail. Their average height is 15-16” tall, 35-41” long and weigh between 8 and 15 pounds.
