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  • Tiny swimming mollusk known as a cigar pteropod (Cuvierina columnella). This swimming mollusk is found throughout temperate and tropical waters around the world. Photographed during a blackwater night dive in Palau.
    cigar-pteropod-cuvierina-columnella-...tif
  • This is a female bivalve of indeterminate species engaged in broadcast spawning. The bivalve is embedded in the coral reef. The orange strands comprise thousands upon thousands of tiny eggs. There is a Nagasaki Damsel (Pomacentris nagasakiensis) in the background. It is rushing in to eat the eggs.
    bivalve-broadcast-spawning-eggs-japa...tif
  • This is a female bivalve of indeterminate species engaged in broadcast spawning. The bivalve is embedded in the coral reef. The orange strands comprise thousands upon thousands of eggs. The fish eating the eggs is a Nagasaki damsel (Pomacentrus nagasakiensis).
    bivalve-broadcast-spawning-eggs-japa...tif
  • This is a composite image showing the emergence of a veliger (planktonic larva) of an Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis) from its shell. The mollusk was about 5mm in shell size, suggesting that it was nearly mature. Juveniles settle on the ocean floor after metamorphosis. Juveniles have been found at depths exceeding 2000m, while adults are generally found in waters of 800m or shallower. The larval stage of this species is around 4.5 years.
    fusitriton-oregonensis-veliger-orego...tif
  • Shown here are bivalve mollusks of indeterminate species engaged in broadcast spawning. A female is sending out orange eggs, while a male above is sending out clouds of sperm.
    bivalve-broadcast-spawning-eggs-sper...tif
  • This is a Cavolinia uncinata, a species of small pelagic mollusk that is found around the world. Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of individuals or more appeared for several days in southern Japan, drifting with currents. As pictured here, the snails use nets of mucus to capture food.
    cavolinia-uncinata-sea-butterfly-jap...tif
  • This is a Cavolinia uncinata, a species of small pelagic mollusk that is found around the world. Tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of individuals or more appeared for several days in southern Japan, drifting with currents. As pictured here, the snails use nets of mucus to forage for food.
    cavolinia-uncinata-sea-butterfly-jap...tif
  • This is a head-on view of Pterosoma planum, a species of predatory snail that lives in the open oceans of the Indo-Pacific region. The animal's gills are to the rear and raised above the animal in this image, with its eyes and feeding proboscis oriented forward and to the bottom. Photographed in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
    pterosoma-planum-pelagic-snail-japan...tif
  • This is a male Pfeiffer's Top Shell (Tegula pfeifferi) engaged in broadcast spawning. Unlike the dramatic pulse ejection of eggs by females, males of this species dribble sperm into the water a little at a time, with frequent pauses.
    tegula-pfeifferi-top-shell-broadcast...tif
  • An unusual nudibranch (Gymnodoris impudica) with only a single rhinophore in the center of its head, cyclops-style. The centralized position of the lone rhinophore suggests that the nudibranch was likely born this way, though it is impossible to be certain.
    gymnodoris-impudica-nudibranch-singl...tif
  • This is a male Lottia emydia limpet engaged in broadcast spawning. This male and others sent streams of sperm into the water, triggering females to broadcast eggs. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.
    lottia-emydia-limpet-spawning-japan-...tif
  • This is a female Lottia emydia limpet engaged in broadcast spawning, sending out a stream of red-orange eggs. The eggs have been pushed back toward the limpet and to the left by the prevailing current. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.
    lottia-emydia-limpet-spawning-japan-...tif
  • This is a cluster of Lottia emydia limpets gathered for group spawning. One is just starting to lift itself up from the rock to spawn. Above these limpets is a cloud of eggs released by nearby female limpets. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.
    lottia-emydia-limpet-spawning-japan-...tif
  • This is a violet snail (Janthina janthina), also known as a bubble raft snail. These pelagic snails are found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters. They are considered pleuston, macroscopic organisms that live at the interface of air and water. To float at the ocean surface, these snails use thin secretions of chitin to envelope bubbles of air, thus creating a buoyancy support. They bob upside-down below the ocean surface and wait for prey such as Portuguese man-of-wars (Physalia sp.) and by-the-wind sailors (Velella velella). When they sense such prey, bubble raft snails extend their long cylindrical snouts and use a rasping mechanism to grab prey, as pictured here. These snails are protandrous sequential hermaphrodites, meaning they all commence life as males, then become female. This snail, with a shell of about three centimeters, was found washed ashore with a mass stranding of thousands of colonial siphonophores.
    janthina-janthina-violet-bubble-raft...tif
  • This is a Goniobranchus geometricus nudibranch. Photographed in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
    goniobranchus-geometricus-nudibranch...tif
  • This is a pair of strawberry conch shells (Conomurex luhuanus) engaged in reproduction. The male is in the rear. He has mounted the female, positioning to the female's posterior rear. This allows him to fertilize via the female's siphonal notch. The female is depositing a long, tubular egg mass, which is adhesive and partially buried in the sand. Some of the eggs are visible at full magnification. Photographed in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
    conomurex-luhuanus-strawberry-conch-...tif
  • This is a female Lottia emydia limpet engaged in broadcast spawning, sending out a stream of red-orange eggs. The limpets in the foreground are likely males. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.
    lottia-emydia-limpet-spawning-japan-...tif
  • This is a Pterosoma planum a species of predatory snail that lives in the open oceans of the Indo-Pacific region. The pink proboscis is the animal's mouth, with two eyes also visible. The gastropod's shell seen below the animal in this image. Photographed in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
    pterosoma-planum-pelagic-snail-japan...tif
  • This is a head-on, close-up view of a colorful Nembrotha purpureolineata nudibranch
    nembrotha-purpureolineata-nudibranch...tif
  • This is a female Pfeiffer's Top Shell (Tegula pfeifferi) engaged in broadcast spawning. Having positioned herself in an elevated spot and raised herself to vertical orientation, the shell forcefully ejected clusters of green eggs three to four times in a row. She then reloaded and repeated for two additional rounds.
    tegula-pfeifferi-top-shell-broadcast...tif
  • This is a female Lottia emydia limpet sending a stream of eggs into the water during spawning. These sea snails aggregate in order to spawn en masse. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.
    lottia-emydia-limpet-spawning-japan-...tif
  • This is a female Lottia emydia limpet sending a stream of eggs into the water during spawning. These sea snails aggregate in order to spawn en masse. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.
    lottia-emydia-limpet-spawning-japan-...tif
  • This is a female Lottia emydia limpet sending a stream of eggs into the water during spawning. These sea snails aggregate in order to spawn en masse. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.
    lottia-emydia-limpet-spawning-japan-...tif
  • This rose petal bubble shell (Hydatina physis) is gathering and arranging freshly secreted eggs on its mantle, prior to attaching the completed egg mass to the sand with a mucous thread. After this is complete, the gastropod burrows back into substrate and disappears.
    hydatina-physis-with-eggs-rose-petal...tif
  • This rose petal bubble shell (Hydatina physis) is burrowing back into the substrate after having emerged to produce the eggs pictured here. This marine snail gathers and arranges its eggs on its mantle before attaching the completed mass to the sand with a mucous thread.
    hydatina-physis-with-eggs-rose-petal...tif
  • Yellow-orange Cadlinella ornatissima nudibranch with characteristic pink-tipped tubercles and white rhinophores
    cadlinella-ornatissima-nudibranch-le...tif
  • This is a terrestrial door snail (Clausiliidae) moving across a tree. Gravity pulled the snail's shell into the position seen, thereby revealing the animal's body. Photographed in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.
    clausiliidae-door-snail-japan-202306...tif
  • This is a veliger (planktonic larva) of an Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis). It was about 5mm in shell size, suggesting that this animal was nearly mature. Juveniles settle on the ocean floor after metamorphosis. Juveniles have been found at depths exceeding 2000m, while adults are generally found in waters of 800m or shallower. The larval stage of this species is around 4.5 years.
    fusitriton-oregonensis-veliger-orego...tif
  • This is a red-spotted blenny (Blenniella chrysospilos) poking its head out of its home in the coral, with two coral hermit crabs (Paguritta sp.) visible in the background. The blenny's home is the abandoned burrow of a vermetid gastropod, Dendropoma maximum.
    blenniella-chrysospilos-red-spotted-...tif
  • This is a blue ocean slug (Glaucus atlanticus) approaching the venom-filled tentacles of a blue bottle (Physalia utriculus). Both were washed ashore as part of a mass, multi-day stranding of thousands of blue bottles, which are colonial siphonophores that are also called Portuguese man-of-wars. The nudibranchs are part of the rarely seen blue community of the open ocean. They prey on other animals in that community, such as Physalia utriculus, by-the-wind-sailors (Velella velella), blue buttons (Porpita porpita), and violet snails (Janthina janthina). Glaucus nudibranchs are immune to the venom of the blue bottles that they consume. They store their prey’s nematocysts and deploy them in specialized cnidosacs at the tips of their ornate cerata. Because these nudibranchs concentrate the venom of their prey, they can produce a more powerful sting than Physalia.
    glaucus-atlanticus-nudibranch-with-p...tif
  • This is a blue ocean slug (Glaucus atlanticus) that was washed ashore with a mass, multi-day stranding of thousands of blue bottles (Physalia utriculus). These nudibranchs are part of the rarely seen blue community of the open ocean. They prey on other animals in that community, such as Physalia utriculus, by-the-wind-sailors (Velella velella), blue buttons (Porpita porpita), and violet snails (Janthina janthina). Glaucus nudibranchs are immune to the venom of the blue bottles that they consume. They store their prey’s nematocysts and deploy them in specialized cnidosacs at the tips of their ornate cerata. Because these nudibranchs concentrate the venom of their prey, they can produce a more powerful sting than Physalia.
    glaucus-atlanticus-nudibranch-201711...tif
  • Close-up view of strands of multicolored sea hare eggs (Aplysia sp.)
    sea-hare-eggs-high-magnification-jap...tif
  • Unidentified aeolid nudibranchs (Favorinus sp.) that appear to be feeding on eggs in a bubble-like egg case. The egg case may be that of a polychaete worm, or possibly a headshield slug of bubble snail (Cephalaspidea). See http://www.tonywublog.com/journal/aeolid-nudibranchs-eating-eggs-of-polychaete-worms for a discussion of this topic. Photographed in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia.
    favorinus-aeolid-nudibranch-eating-p...tif
  • This is a Pfeiffer's top shell (Tegula pfeifferi) male engaged in broadcast spawning during the middle of the night. Photographed in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
    tegula-pfeifferi-top-shell-broadcast...tif
  • This is a juvenile Japanese weathervane scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis), about one centimeter in size. Some of the bivalve's red eyes are visible. Two times life-size magnification. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.
    mizuhopecten-yessoensis-ezo-scallop-...tif
  • This is a veliger (planktonic larva) of an Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis). It was about 5mm in shell size, suggesting that this animal was nearly mature. Juveniles settle on the ocean floor after metamorphosis. Juveniles have been found at depths exceeding 2000m, while adults are generally found in waters of 800m or shallower. The larval stage of this species is around 4.5 years.
    fusitriton-oregonensis-veliger-orego...tif
  • This is a Pacific deer cowry (Lyncina vitellus) with eggs.
    lyncina-vitellus-with-eggs-pacific-d...tif
  • Hermaphroditic sea hares (Aplysia sp.) engaging in copulation and egg-laying in shallow water, at a depth of about five meters
    sea-hares-laying-eggs-aplysia-japan-...tif
  • Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus) capturing and eating a mollusk. This hermit crab has a symbiotic relationship with anemones. The crab attaches anemones to the shell it lives in and transfers the anemones when it grows larger and changes shells. The anemones provide defence against predators like octopuses. It is possible that transfer of shells took place after this photograph was taken.
    anemone-hermit-crab-dardanus-peduncu...tif
  • Chromodoris hintuanensis lifting its skirt
    Chromodoris-hintuanensis-nudibranch-..tiff
  • Dramatic lighting for a nudibranch that is common in the Indo-Pacific region, Chromodoris annae
    Chromodoris-annae_nudibranch-ambon-2..tiff
  • Veined octopus in front of a glass bottle, which it was using as a makeshift home
    Veined-octopus-Amphioctopus-marginat..tiff
  • A pair of Nembrotha cristata nudibranchs enjoying a morning tryst
    green-and-black-Nembrotha-cristata-n..tiff
  • Dramatic lighting for a nudibranch that is common in the Indo-Pacific region, Chromodoris annae
    Chromodoris-annae_nudibranch-ambon-2..tiff
  • Wide-angle macro photograph of a large, red Spanish dancer nudibranch scavenging the reef at night in Ambon, Indonesia
    Spanish-dancer-Hexabranchus-sanguine..tiff
  • Small veined octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) making itself round, perhaps in an attempt to look as big as possible to discourage close approach
    Ambon-Amphioctopus-marginatus-Veined..tiff
  • Glossodoris nudibranch moving along the reef
    Glossodoris_nudibanch-Ambon-201011-3..tiff
  • A cute baby Jorunna rubescens nudibranch
    Jorunna-rubescens-nudibranch-juvenil..tiff
  • Wide-angle macro photograph of a large, red Spanish dancer nudibranch scavenging the reef at night in Ambon, Indonesia
    Red-Spanish-dancer-Hexabranchus-sang..tiff
  • Inaba-san holding an edible gastropod she collected in the ocean, with more in the basket below. This Turbo sazae sea snail is a popular food item in Japan. It was misclassified as Turbo cornutus from 1786 until 2017.
    ama-diver-izu-japan-201006-0369.tif
  • This is a sea elephant (Pterotrachea coronata), a predatory pelagic mollusk. This individual was encountered in a shallow bay. It was alive and swimming, but in poor condition. These animals use their extended proboscis to grab prey. Their vital organs are contained in the visceral nucleus at the rear of the body. One of the animal's eye is clearly visible. Photographed in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
    pterotrachea-coronata-sea-elephant-j...tif
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