Spanish Dancer

ID points

• Bright red to orange-red, usually with a white edge
• Unfurls its mantle when swimming, flaring like a skirt
• A ring of feathery gills at the rear, set out like a garland

Basics

Family

Hexabranchidae

Length

20–40 cm

Depth

1-30 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs

Distribution

Indo-Pacific coral reefs

Habitat

Coral reefs and rubble slopes

Diet

Sponges

Easily confused with

Banded Coral ShrimpAlternating red and white bands cover the claws and the bodyCleaner ShrimpA white stripe down the middle of the back, bright red on either sidePeppermint ShrimpFine red stripes on a translucent body, like a peppermint sweet

Fun fact

The Spanish dancer is the largest nudibranch in the world, growing up to 60 cm long. Its body is a fiery red, and when it swims the flared edges of its mantle ripple in graceful waves like the skirts of a flamenco dancer, which is how it got its name. It hides under rocks by day and comes out only at night. It stockpiles chemical defences taken from the sponges it eats, concentrated especially in its egg ribbons and skin secretions, so few predators dare touch it.