art

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Costasiella Kuroshimae (AKA Sea Sheep)

| Bonnie Kelso

November is a great time to practice gratitude. I am so grateful that Nudi Gill is now available for pre-order!

I am also grateful to you for reading my blog. Today I have a special guest. Everyone’s sweetheart…

Costasiella Kuroshimae

By alif_abdulrahman – Costasiella Kuroshimae, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41894580

Costasiella Kuroshimae is not a nudibranch, but I felt like they had to be included in this series of pin-ups, because come on…. look at that face! The beloved Sea Sheep is in fact a sacoglossan sea slug. These little cuties are solar-powered and prefer a modest diet of algae. Here’s a little pop quiz for you:

In attempt to keep you from seeing the answer, I will bombard the page temporarily with adorable images of Sea Sheep.

By Jun V Lao – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52923406

Take a look at some Sea Sheep in action:

READY FOR THE ANSWER?

Actually, algae is neither plant nor animal. It falls into its own category called protists. Likewise, the Sea Sheep falls into its own category of cuteness.

BAAAAAAAA!

These vitamin-sized cuties are small. They range from 5mm to 1cm in length. They are kleptoplastic which means that they feed on algae and can store the algae’s chloroplasts in their cells. This is how they are able to photosynthesize energy and nutrients from sunlight.

They were originally discovered in Japan. Their scientific name Kuroshimae refers to Kuroshima, Japan. It is a small southern island not too far from Taiwan. Since then, Sea Sheep have been found in other locations, including Indonesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Northern Australia, and Singapore.

HEY, Next time you have trouble sleeping…

try counting Sea Sheep!

I hope you enjoyed oohing and awwwing over November’s sheepy sweetie of a supermodel pin-up, Costasiella Kuroshima. Stay tuned for December’s festive pin-up. You won’t want to miss it!

Gratefully yours,

Bonnie

NOW Available for pre-order!

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL BOOK TRAILER

| Bonnie Kelso

Guess what today is?

It’s National Nudibranch Day!

What better day than to launch the book trailer for Nudi Gill: Poison Powerhouse of the Sea!

It’s also my birthday month, so I’m super excited to share October with National Nudibranch Day. So why is October 29th National Nudibranch Day? Well, this is also the birthday of Dr. Terry Gosliner, a biologist at the California Academy of Sciences and one of the world’s experts on nudibranchs. So spread the word and hug a sea slug today, because they’re awesome and so are you. (Just kidding about hugging a sea slug. Please don’t touch one, but I’m not kidding about you. You are definitely awesome.)

Now let’s take a look at this book trailer I mentioned earlier. I’ve never made a book trailer before, but discovered it is a lot of fun. In fact, I plan to make a whole lot more of them. So I hope you enjoy it and please give it a thumbs up!

Nudi Gill is now available for pre-order!

Wishing you a very happy National Nudibranch Day! Air hugs!!!

Bonnie

NOW Available for pre-order!

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases March 7, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Cyerce Elegans

| Bonnie Kelso

Happy September! I have exciting news to share… Nudi Gill is now available for pre-order!

Now that that is out of the way… let’s bring our attention back to the pin-ups, shall we? Today I have a sea slug species to share with you who is not a nudibranch. They may look like a jellyfish, an egg case, or spawn of the blob, but they are actually a living creature! Look closely for those telltale rhinophores to let you know who you are really dealing with.

Cyerce Elegans!

They are little, lacy, and 100% Loveable!

Nhobgood Nick Hobgood, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Also known as the Butterfly Cyerce, the Cyerce Elegans is a species of sacoglossan sea slug meaning it is solar-powered and feeds primarily on algae unlike those carnivorous nudibranchs. Their leaf-like creata can be cast away if they feel threatened, providing for a distraction while they make their escape. They are relatives of the Cyerce Nigricans sea slug which resembles a tiny aquatic stegosaurus (which, by the way, is the best of all the dinosaurs).

Cyerce Nigricans. Katharina Händeler, Yvonne P. Grzymbowski, Patrick J. Krug & Heike Wägele, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Here’s some beautiful footage of a Cyerce elegans on the move.

Those are some pretty sassy Salsa moves, Cyerces elegans!

I hope you enjoyed learning about September’s sassy supermodel pin-up, Cyerce elegans. Stay tuned for October’s loveable pin-up. You won’t want to miss this one!

May you display some sea slug elegans of your own today.

Bonnie

NOW Available for pre-order!

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Thecacera pacifica

| Bonnie Kelso

Summer is winding down and kids are heading back to school, but that won’t stop me from sharing August’s awesome Nudi Gill Pin-up with you! With its bright yellow coloring and black-tipped rhinophores this nudibranch looks very much like a certain beloved Pokémon character. That’s right, it’s…

Thecacera pacifica!

AKA the Pikachu Nudibranch!

This nudibranch has some funky earlobed rhinophores! Their gills are also located a bit closer to the head than other species with two large papillae on either side. But just like other nudibranchs, they can deliver a nasty sting when threatened. Kind of like Pikachu and his electric shocks.

Angry Mad GIF by Pokémon
https://giphy.com/gifs/pokemon-anime-aNFT7eG2rIKK715uLk

NUDI – NUDI – CHUUUUUU!

Here’s a great video that shows a bit more about the science behind a nudibranch’s stinging abilities. They literally steal stingers (or underdeveloped nemotocycts) from their food and hoard them in their cerata until matured and ready to fire off.

For a deeper dive (pun intended) on additional nudibranchs that resemble Pokémon characters, check out this fun video:

I know they’re adorable, but watch out!

IRL, They’re not as cute as they look!

A bolt of brilliance! I hope you enjoyed learning about August’s awesome NUDI GILL PIN-UP, Thecacera pacifica, aka the Pikachu nudibranch. Stay tuned for September’s sassy supermodel.

As always, I choose you!

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Spanish Shawl

| Bonnie Kelso

With July coming to a close, I thought I’d share some thoughts about this colorful firework of the sea, the Flabellinopsis iodinea nudibranch! I know that’s quite a mouthful of vowels. I guess that’s why a lot of people call this little creature the Spanish Shawl instead.

Flabellinopsis iodinea

Jerry Kirkhart from Los Osos, Calif.

Oooooooh! Ahhhhhhh!

The Spanish Shawl is a species of aeolid nudibranch. I know, I know, more vowels. The aeolid suborder of nudibranch is the second largest next to the dorid nudibranchs. They typically have long tapered bodies, long cephala tentacles on their heads that are distinctly separate from their rhinophores, and clusters of creata respiratory organs that run along their back. Those are the bright orange bits on the photo above.

All these fancy body parts are not only beautiful, but functional as well. Let’s start with those cerata! They do double duty as respiratory system and digestive system. Can you imagine your lungs and stomach in one place? The cerata extract oxygen from the sea water, but they also store stinging cells absorbed through the sea sponges they eat. If a predator tries to eat the nudibranch, the cerata will release the harvested poison within.

Taken in Scripps Canyon, La Jolla, California by Magnus Kjærgaard Category:Opisthobranchia

The nudibranch’s rhinophores sense smell and vibrations in the water. These sensory organs are connected directly to the nudibranch’s brain. The long cephala tentacles are used in a tactile way, feeling around the nudibranch’s environment for food. They wave them ahead as they move forward. This is especially helpful, because a nudibranch has very poor eyesight.

Check out this neat video of Flabellinopsis iodinea in action. They even do a bit of free swimming at the end!

What a Face!

I hope you enjoyed learning about July’s explosively colorful NUDI GILL PIN-UP, Flabellinopsis iodinea, aka the Spanish Shawl. Stay tuned for August’s amazing supermodel.

I vowel to make it worth your time.

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Melibe leonina

| Bonnie Kelso

Is everyone enjoying their summer? The summer months always make me think of picnics and pool parties and what would either of those be without a fresh watermelon to share? And hey, did you know that there’s a nudibranch that smells like watermelons? Okay, I know that’s a weird lead into this month’s NUDI GILL PIN-UP, but you’ve got to check these guys out!

Melibe leonina

Chad King / NOAA MBNMS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jellyfish or Aquatic venus fly trap?

Honestly, if I ever came across these in the wild, that’s what I would think at first. But, low and behold, they are indeed nudibranchs, with specialized hoodies designed specifically for catching prey. Check out the video below to see them in action.

Also known as the Lion’s Mane Nudibranch, the Melibe leonina does not have tiny radula teeth like some other nudibranchs do, so they rely on their large hooded lip, lined with tiny tentacles, to gather food into their mouth. They cast it out like a little built in fishing net.

The growths on its back are actually cerata. Cerata are skin extensions that help the animal breath. What is so interesting about the Melibe leonina, is that it can break away a cerata if it feels threatened, much like how a lizard will shed its tail. This behavior of self-amputation it known as autotomy.

AND THE WATERMELON THING?

Melibe leonina makes chemicals in its body called terpenoids. The terpenoids are secreted through glands on the nudibranch’s back in the form of a delicate slime. This slime helps to repel potential predators, but also happens to smell like a watermelon jolly rancher.

Melibe leonina nudibranch feeding by opening the oral hood to trap prey. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, San Pedro, California. Tentaculata, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

FUN FACT: A cluster of Melibe leoninas is called a bouquet.

Awww, What a lovely bouquet! Smells like watermelon.

The next time you sink your teeth into a juicy slice of watermelon, I hope you will think fondly of June’s sweet NUDI GILL PIN-UP, Melibe leonina. Stay tuned for July’s spectacular firecracker of a supermodel.

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Glaucus Atlanticus

| Bonnie Kelso

Hey there! I’m getting May’s NUDI GILL PIN-UP in just under the wire! It’s been a busy time for me. I’ve been putting the finishing touches on NUDI GILL as well as creating art for IN A CAVE, and a few other new picture books in the works! But, I couldn’t let May slip by without mentioning this most magnificent superstar pin-up:

Glaucus Atlanticus

Glaucus_atlanticus_1.jpg: Taro Taylor from Sydney, Australia

OI! What A Beauty, RIGHT?

These pelagic nudibranchs were in the spotlight this past winter because thousands of them started washing up along the Queensland coast of Australia. (Remember Australia’s summer runs from December to February, so by winter, I really mean Australian summer). These poisonous sea slugs, also known as Blue Dragons, recently became one more fascinating creature on the long list of Australian fauna that can kill you. Usually these nudibranchs are found in open water nibbling on Blue Bottles, but for some reason they surfed their way to the shores, much to the delight and then horror of summer beachgoers. Scientists are not sure why this happened, but it could be due to a number of factors such as unusually strong tides, shifts in currents, and warming ocean temperatures.

And it’s not over yet! If you’re like me and heading to the US beaches this summer, keep an eye out for blue fleets of these little guys. Since last month there are reports of them washing up along the gulf coast of Texas.

Recently in texas…

Blue Dragons love to feed on the Portuguese Man-O-War (or as they call them in Australia, Blue Bottles). This is how they acquire their deadly neurotoxin venom and lovely blue hues.

Image courtesy of Islands in the Sea 2002, NOAA/OER.

BLUE BOTTLES

Though they are often mistaken for jellyfish, these creatures are siphonophores. This means they are colonial organisms, made up of many smaller units called zooids. The colony works together to operate as a single organism. These dangerous siphonophores have long tentacles that can sting even when separated from the main body. When I was a kid, some floating tentacles wrapped around my legs while I was swimming off the shore of Hollywood Beach, Florida. It was a terribly painful experience that left red welts on my legs for days.

I’m going to geek out a bit with this follow up image which I find to be UBER-fascinating showing what parts of this creature do what.

Catriona Munro, Zer Vue, Richard R. Behringer & Casey W. Dunn, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Now back to the star of this show…

GLAUCUS ATLANTICUS!!!!!

Probably the smallest dragon in history (or mythology), this nudibranch species rarely exceeds 3cm in length. It stores a tiny air bubble in its tummy to stay afloat. When it wants to dive, it simply burps. Now, before you die from that tidbit of cuteness, remember that it’s not called a dragon for nothing. The Glaucus Atlanticus does not produce venom on its own. It stores the venom it ingests from the Blue Bottle’s tentacles. But when Glaucus Atlanticus does decide to sting, watchout! It can inject more poison than the Blue Bottle itself!

Even so, Glaucus Atlanticus is small and vulnerable to predators as it travels in the wide open water column. It uses countershading to camouflage itself like many other sea creatures do. Its bright blue top hides it from predators above, looking down into the deep blue of the ocean, while its light grey underside mimics the sunlit water surface, hiding it from predators below.

Courtesy of the Biodiversity Heritage Library. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8438459#page/94/mode/1up

Thank you for taking the time to get to know May’s magnificent NUDI GILL PIN-UP, Glaucus Atlanticus. Stay tuned for June’s gorgeous supermodel.

Hooroo!

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Phylliroe

| Bonnie Kelso

I bet you’ve been wondering, “Where’s April’s NUDI GILL PIN-UP?” If you haven’t, I understand. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, so it’s easy to forget that we share this planet with tiny creatures that have no concept of politics, inflation, or the latest TikTok dance challenge.

If you’re new to the PIN-UPS, I am blogging every month until the release of my debut picture book, NUDI GILL by Gnome Road Publishing. I am excited to announce that the book’s release will be delayed until March 2023. Why am I excited? Because this means I can share with you SIX additional NUDI GILL PIN-UPS! WOO-HOO!!!

I know everyone’s busy, so I will keep this one short and sweet. Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to April’s open sea supermodel pirate:

Phylliroe

Okay, so there’s a lot to unpack with this nudibranch. When they are babies, they attach themselves to the underside of a jellyfish’s bell and feed like a parasite. They’re kind of like a pirate aboard a ship. Except this pirate munches on the ship (which is alive) until the pirate grows bigger than the ship and then eventually eats the rest of the sails, rigging and even the anchor until there’s nothing left. With a full belly, the pirate then swims along its merry way. They spend their adult life chasing additional ships (jellies/food) on the open seas. Yo Ho Ho! ‘Tis the life, indeed!

This incredible nudibranch is rigged with a flat fishy tail so it can…

Swim like a fish!

Check Them out in action!

The Phylliroe nudibranch is pelagic, which means it lives in the sea column as opposed to near a reef or on the ocean floor. It can easily be swept up in currents, which explains why these critters are found just about everywhere in the ocean.

Here’s a cool old drawing of one. The long spaghetti-like shapes coming from the head are the nudibranch’s rhinophores.

Lydekker R. (ed.) (1896). The royal natural history.
© Mark Norman / Museum Victoria,
http://portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/5674

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that another name for a jellyfish is medusa? The name comes from the gorgon, Medusa, from Greek Mythology. She was the daughter of the sea god, Phorcus. With venomous snakes for hair, she is usually depicted as being beautiful and terrifying at the same time. If mortals looked at her they would turn to stone.

Poor little sea jellies. They get such a bad rap.

Another cool thing about Phylliroe nudibranchs is that they are bioluminescent. That means they have enzymes in their body that can produce light. Glow in the dark, nudibranchs?

Wonders never cease!

Thank you for taking the time to get to know April’s awesome NUDI GILL PIN-UP, Phylliroe. Stay tuned for May’s magnificent supermodel.

Ahoy, mateys!

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in March, 2023. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.

NUDI GILL PIN-UP: Elysia Chlorotica

| Bonnie Kelso

To prepare for NUDI GILL, my debut picture book release in September 2022, I am blogging about nudibranchs monthly. I hope you will fall in love with these little critters. Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to March’s fascinating leprechaun-like supermodel:

Elysia Chlorotica

Karen N. Pelletreau et al. – Creative Commons

What just moved in my lucky charms?

This month I just had to deviate from nudibranchs to bring you this special sap-sucking sea slug. Try saying that five times in a row! But, really, who better to feature on St. Patrick’s Day than a creature that looks like a green leaf?

Mary Tyler—Mary Rumpho/University of Maine

This sea slug reminds me of my game: Flora or Fauna?

So what is Elysia Chlorotica?

A plant (flora) or an animal (fauna)?

Dare I say… both?

This little creature, unlike nudibranchs which are carnivores, is truly solar powered. Like a plant. If you don’t believe me, here’s an awesome TEDx presentation by a real scientist, Sidney Pierce. He also talks about the potential for advancements in gene therapy because of what we can learn from this tiny creature. Just a warning, he does say a four-letter word twice (the “s” one), so parents beware. I’m sure he couldn’t help it. It’s pretty exciting science!

This sea slug is green becaue it has chloroplasts inside it. Chloroplasts are the organelles inside plant cells that synthesize sunlight into energy. Chloroplasts are not in animals, they are in plants. Elysia Chlorotica gets their chloroplsats from the algae they eat. But when the sea slug eats the chloroplasts, they are not digested, they keep working!

Figure 1. [Source. © Patrick J. Krug, Creative Commons CC BY-NC 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons]

Not only does this creature behave like a plant, but it looks like one. Imagine if we could just lie in the sun for a few hours to charge our batteries? This is what these guys can do. They can live without food for a whole year because of these functioning chloroplasts inside their bodies.

What kind of music do Sea slugs that look like clovers prefer?

(Answer at end of post.)

When an Elysia Chlorotica is born, it muches on algae. But once it has synthesized the chloroplasts it doesn’t need to eat anymore. There’s a great word for this process: kleptoplasty. It means chloroplast robbery. Cute little thieves they are!

Would you trust a face like this?

These sea slugs can be found in shallow waters along the east coast of North America. When they want to “feed” they simply unfurl their leaf-like body like some kind of organic solar panel and soak up the rays!

Answer:

SHAMROCK!

Thank you for taking time to get to know March’s NUDI GILL PIN-UP, Elysia Chlorotica. Next time you come across a one leaf clover, check it for a head!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! Stay tuned for April’s awesome NUDI GILL PIN-UP.

May the sun shine warm upon ye,

Bonnie

Bonnie Kelso writes and illustrates books for children and adults that encourage individualism and brave self-expression. She facilitates art workshops for her local community and beyond. Her debut picture book, NUDI GILL, releases in September, 2022. A lover of nature and travel, she often wanders about outside with her family whenever an excellent opportunity to do so presents itself.