Migrating Aeolid, Cratena peregrina, a nudibranch found in the Mediterranean Sea. This picture was taken in Valletta, Malta.

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The migrating Aeolid is one of the most common nudibranch species in the Mediterranean Sea. The white body is covered with 8 to 10 pairs of dorsal papillae (cerate), which are extensions of the animal’s digestive tract. Depending on the food color, which consists mainly of hydroids, the coloration of these papillae can change from orange, brown to purple. The orange extremities on their head are rhinophores, the olfactory organs that also serve orientation. Aeolids are hermaphrodites, but usually reproduce with another one.

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Size: 2902px × 3019px
Location: Valletta, Malta
Photo credit: © Rasmus Loeth Petersen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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