Corvo
Well nudibranch fans, here we go again! Today’s contestant is a Chromodoris purpurea. About 20mm (4/5in.) long and with only a single golden marginal band marking the pure white mantle, it is not the largest or most spectacular animal we have considered but nonetheless I’m sure you will agree that this is a lovely little slug. He/she was observed at a depth of 20 meters (65’) off Corvo, the smallest and northwestern-most of the Azores, grazing peacefully on a tuft of red algae. Cast your votes now! Is this the most beautiful slug of the week? Does it make up in sheer cuteness what it lacks in brilliant markings?
Species of Chromodoris are found in temperate and tropical waters all around the world and C. purpurea is known from the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and the Azores. Most likely the species reached these island outposts of its range as larvae, carried on oceanic currents. Even though the Azores are the most isolated islands in the North Atlantic and not directly affected by any major currents, many marine organisms have arrived here in this fashion, slowly creating a unique community assembled of elements from the shores of America, Africa and Europe.
Exploring the Azores during the last few days, we have watched massive fin whales and graceful dolphins rolling at the surface of the deep blue Atlantic; we have sampled local wines and cheeses, and taken time to sip coffees and beers in small cafes; we have wandered through a small, welcoming city with a bustling commercial waterfront, visited tiny villages perched on the edges of green, flower-decked islands, and descended into the throats of volcanoes. Now we take a moment to consider a lovely little sea slug, less than an inch long, an ambassador from the other world of these beautiful islands, the parts of these great mountains that lie beneath the sea. Would it win a slug beauty contest? Cast your votes now!
Well nudibranch fans, here we go again! Today’s contestant is a Chromodoris purpurea. About 20mm (4/5in.) long and with only a single golden marginal band marking the pure white mantle, it is not the largest or most spectacular animal we have considered but nonetheless I’m sure you will agree that this is a lovely little slug. He/she was observed at a depth of 20 meters (65’) off Corvo, the smallest and northwestern-most of the Azores, grazing peacefully on a tuft of red algae. Cast your votes now! Is this the most beautiful slug of the week? Does it make up in sheer cuteness what it lacks in brilliant markings?
Species of Chromodoris are found in temperate and tropical waters all around the world and C. purpurea is known from the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and the Azores. Most likely the species reached these island outposts of its range as larvae, carried on oceanic currents. Even though the Azores are the most isolated islands in the North Atlantic and not directly affected by any major currents, many marine organisms have arrived here in this fashion, slowly creating a unique community assembled of elements from the shores of America, Africa and Europe.
Exploring the Azores during the last few days, we have watched massive fin whales and graceful dolphins rolling at the surface of the deep blue Atlantic; we have sampled local wines and cheeses, and taken time to sip coffees and beers in small cafes; we have wandered through a small, welcoming city with a bustling commercial waterfront, visited tiny villages perched on the edges of green, flower-decked islands, and descended into the throats of volcanoes. Now we take a moment to consider a lovely little sea slug, less than an inch long, an ambassador from the other world of these beautiful islands, the parts of these great mountains that lie beneath the sea. Would it win a slug beauty contest? Cast your votes now!
