Deep Sea Creatures washed up in Phuket

[Adrian]

Hmm..it could be, it was bright yellow and had a "hump" on it's back like a snail' shell, but this didn't seem hard so I think it is the mantle. I'll email the guy at the website you found and see if they know. Mine didn't have the little white spots, and it was around 2-3 cm long.

I need to get prescription lens in my mask or put a plastic magnifying glass infroont of the camera's screen cause my tired eyes are now relying on the auto focus for getting the shot!!!

Thanks,

Adrian

 

[cdavis]

Ah, but it made for such a good story! A fine way to pass a few minutes on a dreary winter afternoon. Thanks all.

Connor

 

[mustangmermaid]

I agree with Connor. Even though I'd been Had. it was Ok with me. I'm facinated by all things below the surface.

 

[Shadowkiller]

Shadow, this is one of the kewlest photos I have ever seen! Do you have a 1024x768 version - minimum compression or bmp? it's about time I'll change my wallpaper.

Do you happen to know what are those small slimy black pellets near it's mouth? (phosphoros bodies maybe? eggs?)

PM me your email, and prepare for a 1meg file...

The black spots are light organs. Not sure if they help it find food, their structure isn't forward pointing enough. Most likely they use it to blend into the surface light, thus predators below them can't see their outline against the "sky"

 

[Shadowkiller]

Adrian, IslandSands:

That pic Adrian posted looks like its of a SeaHare, not a nudibranch. SeaHares are ophistobranchs, and are closely related to nudis.

The oral tentacles in Adrian pics say "SeaHare" to me as nudi's generally dont have them. Also the rhinopores (the ear looking structure) are curled, and dont have the ribbed look of nudi rhinopores.

Have a look at the best nudi site in the world, the Aus Museums seaslug forum. I'm a little biased...

www.seaslugforum.net

Bill Rudman is a world reknown expert, and a nice guy to boot.
Search for Seahares and you should get a few pages.

You could send the pic to Bill for ID, but the poor guy gets swamped by emails from all over the world, so it might take a while.

 

[Adrian]

Could be Shadow,
It could also be a snail. Are baby sea hares so brilliantly yellow? I'll consult with Bill Rudman as well. I have never seen anything like it before.

Adrian

 

[Shadowkiller]

hmmm.. SeaHares come in all shapes and sizes. I know one spot where we get ones that weigh 5-6kg and are 60-70cm long. We call them SeaCows. In other spots they can be only 2-3cm long.

As with most marine species, there is very little known about Ophistobranchs. Most info comes from divers taking pics. SeaHares have a "hump" on their back, and if you move it a little, you will find its actually a 2 flap fold with the foramen (a hole) in the middle. At the risk of getting censored.. it will look a little like a womans "bits"... :hmm

If you go out again in that area, try and find the critter, pick it up gently and put into a clear area so you can get both top down shots and side on shots. That will help with the ID a lot. Then return the little guy to where you find it.

Re Snails: Snails usually have visible shells, even if they are only fragile ones like the bubbleshells.

 

[Shadowkiller]

Heres some more pics from my work at the Aussie Museum. I was sorting these fish out buckets where there were 40-50 species mixed up, and putting them into genus groups. An ID down to species is very hard for fish like Myctophids... :hmm

The hatchetfish are little cuties eh? They use their light organs for camoflage as well. The Myctophids use their front facing light organ as a search light to find Cophepods and other little critters.

 

[island_sands]

Re Snails: Snails usually have visible shells, even if they are only fragile ones like the bubbleshells.

They call this fella the Maldives Snail. Apparently he is endemic to this region. I thought that snails didnt' have to have shells.

Interesting about Ophistobranchs.. i think the only thing we risk now is Shaca wanting a close up of its 2 flap fold

No, seriously, can you tell me some more about this guy here? He is a Coriocella. Do you get similar creatures down in Oz?

btw love the hachet.. how big is it? looks like about 10cm from the photo.

 

[shaneshac]

i think the only thing we risk now is Shaca wanting a close up of its 2 flap fold

Post it please rofl rofl rofl