| X-Ray Mag

The Sap-sucking Sea Slug: Butterfly Sacoglossan

Ecology & Science

Words

Westley Oosthuizen

Images

Westley Oosthuizen

Cyerce sp. sacoglossan sea slug, or butterfly sap-sucking slug, Green Island, Taitung, Taiwan.

Many divers, and especially macro underwater photographers, adore the lovely, colorful, and photogenic sea slugs found in the deep. We often call them nudibranchs, the “butterflies of the sea.” But not all sea slugs are nudibranchs. Have you ever heard of the sacoglossan? Underwater photographer Wesley Oosthuizen takes a closer look at a special sacoglossan species—the butterfly sap-sucking slug.

Yucatán: Special Treasures in Mexican Cenotes

Travel & Trips

Words

Pierre Constant

Images

Pierre Constant

Dive guide Max with the mushroom stalactites in Cenote El Zapote

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There is no doubt that Yucatán in Mexico is a fascinating region. Not only for its culture, its unique nature and wildlife or the archaeological sites of the ancient Maya, but for the simple fact that it is a cave diver’s paradise. Pierre Constant has the story.

Great White Shark

Great white shark swims more than 10,000km in 150 days

1 year ago By Chief minion

Researchers from the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Deakin University fitted an adult male shark with a pop-up satellite tag and tracked it for more than five months.

After being tagged, the shark swam more than 20km out to sea, then headed north to Queensland.

It roamed between 80 and 280km offshore between Agnes Water and the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, before heading to the cooler waters in southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.

Read more about Great white shark swims more than 10,000km in 150 days

Key reef-building coral species from left to right: cauliflower coral (Pocillopora meandrina), lobe coral (Porites lobata), and finger coral (Porites compressa).

Palau’s Rock Islands harbour heat-resistant corals

1 year ago By Chief minion

Palau’s Rock Islands experience consistently higher temperatures and extreme heatwaves, yet their diverse coral communities bleach less than those on Palau’s cooler outer reefs.

Scientists studying reefs in Palau have identified genetic subgroups of a common coral species that exhibit remarkable tolerance to the extreme heat associated with marine heatwaves.