Clown nudibranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clown nudibranch |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Ceratosoma
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| Species: |
amoenum
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The clown nudibranch (scientific name: Ceratosoma amoenum) is a super colorful type of sea slug. It's a marine mollusk, which means it's a creature that lives in the ocean and doesn't have a shell, unlike snails. It belongs to a family called Chromodorididae.
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Where Does the Clown Nudibranch Live?
The clown nudibranch is often found in the intertidal zone. This is the area along the coast that is covered by water during high tide and exposed during low tide.
You can commonly spot these colorful sea slugs in the cooler parts of southern Australia and northern New Zealand. They have also been seen sometimes off the coast of southern Queensland.
What Does the Clown Nudibranch Look Like?
This sea slug has a white body with amazing orange and purple spots. These spots are especially noticeable on its back. The size of the spots can be different depending on where the nudibranch lives. For example, those in New Zealand often have the biggest spots.
The clown nudibranch's gills and rhinophores are a bright crimson-white color. Rhinophores are like sensory feelers that help the nudibranch smell and find its way around. Both the rhinophores and the gills can pull back into special pockets on its body for protection. This species can grow to be at least 60 millimeters long.
What Does the Clown Nudibranch Eat?
The clown nudibranch is known to eat sponges. Sponges are simple marine animals that attach themselves to rocks or the seafloor.
Scientists have seen these nudibranchs feeding on sponges from the Semitaspongia genus and a specific type called Dysidea fragilis. The nudibranch takes chemicals from the sponges it eats. It then uses these chemicals as a way to defend itself from predators.
Images for kids
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Ceratosoma amoenum
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A pair of mating clown nudibranchs in the Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand.
