Seasnails

WingsWings Registered Users Posts: 54 Big grins
edited April 1, 2004 in Wildlife
My brother in law took these during a dive trip in the Phillippines. Here's a teaser and a link to more right here http://Wings.smugmug.com/gallery/90274/1/3162158

3162158-M.jpg

Comments

  • SeamaidenSeamaiden Registered Users Posts: 339 Major grins
    edited March 30, 2004
    Ah, nudibranchs. Gorgeous and wondrous subject matter!
    Youth and Enthusiasm
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  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited March 30, 2004
    Nudie what? To me it looks like a crab leg without the hassle of first removing the crab.
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited March 30, 2004
    Wings, those are some sharp shots. What camera was he using?

    And what manner of wee beastie is this?

    3162177-M.jpg
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • SeamaidenSeamaiden Registered Users Posts: 339 Major grins
    edited March 30, 2004
    wxwax wrote:
    Nudie what? To me it looks like a crab leg without the hassle of first removing the crab.
    Nudibranchs. "Nudi" = naked, "branch" = lung. So, they're a mollusk, a snail, with naked lungs. http://wetwebmedia.com/nudibran.htm
    Youth and Enthusiasm
    Are No Match For
    Age and Treachery
  • WingsWings Registered Users Posts: 54 Big grins
    edited March 31, 2004
    wxwax wrote:
    Wings, those are some sharp shots. What camera was he using?

    And what manner of wee beastie is this?

    3162177-M.jpg
    Uhmm...an underwater kinda camera? *blush Let me find out. Anyway, I was fascinated with some of his shots especially since underwater photography has all kinds of challenges. The snails are the only pics I have from him that are digitized, you should see some of his other stuff! Very cool.
  • SeamaidenSeamaiden Registered Users Posts: 339 Major grins
    edited March 31, 2004
    That appears to be a type of crab/arthropod in that shot, the ocean sports an amazing variety of cryptic animals. If you'd like something more definitive, you can size the shot so it's under 1Mb and send it in to the wetwebmedia crew. Bob and Anthony are serious ID whizzes! Know this, though - there are still a huge number of animals yet to be scientifically described, we see original descriptions of vertebrates on a daily basis. Pretty neat when you think about it.
    Youth and Enthusiasm
    Are No Match For
    Age and Treachery
  • jimfjimf Registered Users Posts: 338 Major grins
    edited April 1, 2004
    Looks like some kind of crab, maybe a spider crab?

    http://www.tokyo-u-fish.ac.jp:8000/Japanese/Attached-Institues/museum/05.crustacea/crab001-e.html
    jim frost
    jimf@frostbytes.com
  • SeamaidenSeamaiden Registered Users Posts: 339 Major grins
    edited April 1, 2004
    That spider crab you have pictured can reach, IIRC, 3'-4' across (they defend themselves by literally stabbing anything that's fool enough to grab them). The shot above really looks like a macro to me, I'd wager that little thing is maybe an inch across?

    As for the state of taxonomical descriptions, especially of creatures hailing from the Oceania and Red Sea regions (lord I'm sorry I can't make the trip to Egypt <sigh>), last night I was updating the WWM Daily FAQs page, and decided I'd feature a jawfish. HALF the shots in our gallery are only identified as Opistognathus sp.. So, we can be somewhat assured of genus, but species? Simply hasn't been described yet. Purty little things they are, too.

    Take a look at the one up today..
    Opistognathus_sp._U1KBR3.jpg
    Youth and Enthusiasm
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  • jimfjimf Registered Users Posts: 338 Major grins
    edited April 1, 2004
    Seamaiden wrote:
    That spider crab you have pictured can reach, IIRC, 3'-4' across (they defend themselves by literally stabbing anything that's fool enough to grab them). The shot above really looks like a macro to me, I'd wager that little thing is maybe an inch across?

    Ha-ha, I had no idea how big across either one was so I was just looking at form. And the coloration seems wrong too. Maybe the thing isn't an adult? (Nah, Google tells me that babies don't look anything like adults. Oh well.)
    jim frost
    jimf@frostbytes.com
  • SeamaidenSeamaiden Registered Users Posts: 339 Major grins
    edited April 1, 2004
    When I worked at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific one of the aquarists wanted me to do a little cleaning in that tank. My choice was clean out one of the large foam fractionators (don't ask me why, but I actually like the smell - especially if it's in the middle of a fishroom), or do a quick vacuum in the spider crab display. Guess which one I chose! (An aside, some of those skimmers are over 8' tall and would fit a human easily. Whatever you do, DON'T FALL IN!) lol3.gif
    Youth and Enthusiasm
    Are No Match For
    Age and Treachery
  • SavannahManSavannahMan Registered Users Posts: 142 Major grins
    edited April 1, 2004
    jimf wrote:
    Looks like some kind of crab, maybe a spider crab?

    http://www.tokyo-u-fish.ac.jp:8000/Japanese/Attached-Institues/museum/05.crustacea/crab001-e.html
    ate one of those once....got it from:
    3213928-M.jpg
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