Nudibranch eating a Tube Anemone in Monterey Bay

This is a Rainbow Nudibranch about 10 inches in length. It is about to eat a Tube Anemone. The Nudibrach then transfers the poison from the worm to it's own body to use as protection. Rainbow nudibranchs (Dendronotus iris) feed on tube anemones
(Pachycerianthus fimbriatus).

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Rainbow
• nudibranch
• tube
• worm
• monterey
• bay

[kenvyn123]

how long did you have to wait to get this video? its incredable.

[fotoblau]

I saw what was going to happen and waited for the nudi to crawl about 10 feet and then up the stalk. It took about 15 minutes for all of that to happen then the eating began. If you turn up the sound you can hear my dive buddies screaming when the nudi chased the worm down the stalk.

[wildkat79]

No offense, but you're a little mixed up. There is no rainbow anemone in that vid. And a tube worm is not the same as a tube anemone (which is what is in the vid). Lastly the nudi that is pictured is likely dendronotus albus, the white dendrotid. Maybe you have it confused with dendronotus iris, the giant swimming (sometimes called rainbow dendronotid) that is also found here in Monterey.

[fotoblau]

Rainbow nudibranchs (Dendronotus iris) feed on tube anemones (Pachycerianthus fimbriatus).

[paguruspagoo]

This is a bit late to comment on this clip posted 4 years ago, but a Monterey biologist (and pre-eminent jade diver and sculptor) named Don Wobber documented the Dendronotus/Pachycerianthus relationship about 40 years ago using an ingenious time-lapse camera that he created himself. Google his name, if you're interested. BTW, with all of the material available on identification and natural history, there's no excuse for any diver not to know that an anemone is not a worm, etc.

[GlockWiseSB]

@wildkat79 LMAO YOU'RE FUNNY

[Jeroshio1]

A moment of silence, I did not expect the nudibranch to dig its head in there.

[antqcao433]

gastrodon uses bite on lileep =] reminds me of pokeman 4 sum strange reason

[RavenLavender]

@wildkat79 Did you even attempt to read the description?

[mislav1971]

wow!

[cuallito]

Now to train one to eat the brains of my enemies....

[rainewater24]

really pretty.. but i wish i couldve seen the colours of the nudi... all i saw was white... Y_Y

[aquathewolf]

That is definitely not a worm, but Ceriantipatharia. A kind of anemone that does not have a basal foot and lives in sediments. Thus is not a true anemone at all though still in Anthazoa.The Nudi is adorable. <3