I can't even begin to guess

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nkw5

Contributor
Messages
384
Reaction score
24
Location
Fresno, CA
# of dives
500 - 999
What is this?! Found in big area of sand at Breakwater, Monterey, CA around 20 feet.
IMG_0856.jpg
 
Hard to tell from the image, but possibly a lion nudibranch (Melibe leonina) if that is the oral hood

DDDB 553 lion nudibranch sm.jpg
 
Your pics are lots better than mine (which I guess goes without saying), but I believe you have ID'd my mystery creature. Thanks, Dr. Bill! Several others have confirmed your call as well.
 
They are a truly interesting species of 'branch. I remember years ago when I was collecting drift kelp with my biology students. We pulled up a large mass of drift kelp onto our boat and there were literally thousands of these 'branchs, many in mating mode. I had never seen one before and I sent a description to my Harvard mentor saying the looked like a Hoover vacuum cleaner with wings. He wrote back the following week with the proper identification.

As for the photos, I can claim credit only for the top two. The bottom two were taken by Steve Murvine down in San Diego where they are far more commonly seen.
 

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