📸 PhotoPhoto: Dr. James P. McVey, (Photo Collection of Dr. James P. McVey) NOAA Sea Grant Program · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Source
Spanish dancer
Hexabranchus sanguineus (Spanish dancer · Spanish dancer)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum total length of 25 cm is about four-fifths of a 30 cm ruler.
- 💡 When threatened, it flexes its body deeply up and down to send waves through its broad red-and-white mantle as it swims (SeaLifeBase).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Spanish dancer is a large, flamboyant nudibranch living on Indo-Pacific coral reefs, famous for swimming with undulating movements of its body.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its broad body reaches up to 25 cm, and its mantle is vividly patterned in red and white. When swimming, it flexes its body up and down in sweeping motions to create waves along its mantle.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It feeds on sponges (genus Halichondria) and obtains potent chemical defense compounds from them. It lives mainly at depths of 10–20 m on coral reefs.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • marinespecies.org — aphia.php
- • wikidata.org — Q2563660
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Hexabranchus sanguineus.jpg
- • sealifebase.se — Hexabranchus-sanguineus.html
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Margot Michaud · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.