Nudibranch Bloom in the cold waters of Alaska

Melibe leonida

  I never know what to expect when I put on my snorkel gear here in Alaska and look underwater. Often the intertidal life is exposed on the rocky shoreline on the lower end of our 25ft tides. However the marine creatures just below the intertidal are still a mystery until snorkel or dive gear is donned.

Beautiful hooded nudibranch
Alaska snorkel scene
   Today's snorkel provided a wonderful surprise. Every blade of kelp contained several melibe leonida nudibranchs. The common name is hooded nudibranch, or lion's mane nudibranch. They are clear and translucent. In some of the close up pictures you can even see the capillery structures in their grills, helping them breath in under the sea. The unusual number of melibes indicated a mating bloom which I had only seen one other time off the frigid coast of San Miguel Island, the northernmost Channel Island in California. Fittingly, the same waters that runs through Alaska heads right down to San Miguel thanks to the Humbolt current off the west coast.

Mating nudibranch
   My theory was validated when I started seeing two Melibes together, right side to right side in the typical mating dance of nudibranchs. You just never know what amazing life you will see if you bravely head underwater in Alaska















Snorkel buddies: Papa T and me

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