On Monday I delivered some art to Pacific Grove for Donna and used it as an opportunity to do a solo dive at the Coastguard Breakwater with the hope I could get a video of a Rainbow Nudibranch feeding on a tube anemone. I had 15 to 20 ft of visibility and 54 degree temperature. It took some patience to find a nudibranch just about to attack a tube anemone but eventually I got my video.
Here is a view of the entry beach at the breakwater just before I started swimming.
As this picture of a group of rubberlip seaperch shows, I had excellent light and good visibility for this dive.
Tube anemones are all along the breakwater in the sand below about 30 ft. These were at 45 ft.
Here is a rainbow nudibranch (Dendronotus Iris, they are usually between four and 7 inches long) in the sand between tube anemones.
Rainbow nudibranchs come in a range of colors, here is one making its way to a tube anemone.
Here is a rainbow nudibranch atop a tube anemone, I was too late to video his attack...
Here is my video of a rainbow nudibranch climbing a tube anemone, while laying eggs, and pouncing on the tube anemone and being pulled inside when the anemone tries to retreat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKNOBCCgCSU&feature=youtu.be
For more pictures from this dive, please go to:
https://plus.google.com/photos/110159573286645489662/albums/6112152270551612545?authkey=CKzw3-PKyZLSUg
To see pictures and a video of a tube anemone larva, about 5 mm across, please see the Bodega lab blog:
http://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2015/02/seldom-seen.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNaturalHistoryOfBodegaHead+%28The+Natural+History+of+Bodega+Head%29
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