Sun Sustenance Photograph by David Liittschwager and Susan Middleton
Sometimes called a solar-powered sea slug, the blue dragon nudibranch (Pteraeolidia ianthina) incorporates into its body microscopic algae that convert sunlight into sugar, which feeds both the algae and the nudibranch. The reef mollusk, found in the French Frigate Shoals, also eats small stinging polyps similar to corals. The encapsulated stinging cells in those polyps protect the nudibranch from predators.
Camera: Hasselblad 553 ELX Film Type: Kodak Portra 160NC Lens: 135mm S-Planar Speed and F-Stop: 1/250 @ f/32
Weather Conditions: N/A Time of Day: N/A Lighting Techniques: Electronic flash, one for the background and one for the subject
