This intertwined pair of flabellinas was spotted at Pipeline. They are quite small; this is a macro shot. Can you find the two heads? Hint - the head tentacles are a different colour...
I love these flabellinas - I had not seen them until Port Stephens. They are quite small - this one is less than an inch long. You can see the grains of sand throught he translucent lower foot
The flame-like tips of many flabellinas and other nudibranchs contain stinging cells which keep predators at bay. But nudibranches don't make these cells - they steal them! Flabellinas eat hydroids and anemones, which have stinging cells called nematocysts for their own defense. These cells have a hair trigger which fires a venomous "dart" when brushed by another animal. Flabellinas can eat these and separate the nematocysts in their stomachs without triggering them. The nematocysts are then shunted internally to the ends of the cerrata on the nudibranch's back.
