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Spanish Dancer Hexabranchus sanguineus  The largest of the
nudibranchs is the Spanish dancer—so called because when it
swims, the undulating movements of its flattened body are
reminiscent of a flamenco dancer. Adults are brightly but
variably colored, generally in shades of red, pink, or orange,
sometimes mixed with white or yellow.  While resting, crawling,
or feeding, the lateral edges of the Spanish dancer's mantle are
folded up over its back, displaying the less colorful underside.
If disturbed, it will escape by swimming away, exposing its
bright colors and possibly startling potential predators.
Spanish dancers are specialist predators that feed only on
sponges, particularly encrusting species, from which they modify
and concentrate certain distasteful compounds in their skin to
use as another defense against predation. They have external
gills for respiration, which are extensively branched and
attached to the body wall in distinct pockets and