NIWA Invertebrate Collection

Who wore it better? Celebs at the Met Gala or these fabulous sea slugs? 🤔😍

Fashion forward sea slugs and nudibranchs rock vibrant colours and bold patterns on the underwater catwalk every day. Who needs a designer outfit when you’ve got frilly gills? 💅💃🏼

Learn more about the sea slugs of New Zealand, from woolly sea hares to clown nudibranchs, in our Super Sea Slugs guide here ➡️ https://niwa.co.nz/oceans/identification-guides/super-sea-slugs

The king of prickly! 👑

This little critter is a juvenile prickly king crab (Paralomis zealandica). It is a member of the family Lithodidae, a group of deep-sea crustaceans. 👑

Like lots of other king crabs, the prickly king crab is heavily armoured with sharp spines all over its body. 🌵

They aren’t the largest king crabs in New Zealand, that title is held by Lithodes aotearoa, which can have a leg span up to 1.3 metres! Paralomis zealandica can reach up to 13cm across its back. 🦀

They can be found in southern New Zealand waters from the Chatham Rise down to the Campbell and Bounty Plateaus from 254–1212 metres, but normally from 550–650 metres.

Did you know king crabs are all right-handed? 😮 The right claw is usually much bigger than the left, and the larger claw is usually used for crushing while the other is used for cutting!

📸 Rob Stewart