A ‘Spanish dancer’ has been spotted putting on a vibrant display along the coast of Western Australia.
But it was not a dance performance as the name suggests – instead it was a sea slug just going about its daily business.
The scientifically named Hexabranchus sanguineus is commonly known as the Spanish dancer, with it bearing a striking resemblance to a flamenco dancer’s skirt.
One was recently captured floating in the waters of Coral Bay, about 1200km north of Perth, with its red and orange hues leaving those who saw the image mesmerised.
The scientifically named Hexabranchus sanguineus is a sea slug commonly referred to as the Spanish dancer because its movement resembles that of a flamenco dancer
One of the sea slugs was captured in the waters of Coral Bay, 1200km north of Perth, this weekWhen a photo of the Hexabranchus sanguineus – translated to blood-coloured six-gills – was posted to Facebook this week, many were left in awe of the sea creature.
Others also shared their own images of the sea slug from the same spot over the years, describing the marine mollusk as ‘amazing’.
The large droid nudibranch has a soft and flattened body and can grow to a maximum length of 90cm, although they are more commonly 20 to 30cm.
‘The anterior dorsal portion has a pair of retractable rhinophores and the posterior part has six contractile gills inserted independently in the body,’ the Atlas of Living Australia website says.
When images of the Spanish dancer were posted to Facebook this week, many were left in awe of the marine mollusk, with some also sharing their own images they captured
‘The pair of oral tentacles are constituted by a fin flexible membrane provided with large digital lobes.
‘In a normal situation when the animal is crawling, the edges of its mantle are curled upwards creating a peripheral blister.
‘If the animal is disturbed, it unfolds its edges and can swim through contractions and undulations of the body to move away from the disturbing element. Its common name, Spanish dancer, comes from this particular defense.’
The Spanish dancer is found throughout the Indo-Pacific, including around Australia, near Japan, Hawaii and parts of the east coast of Africa, with a penchant for rocky and coral reefs.
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