The Shag Rug Nudibranch (Aeolidia papillosa) is the dullest looking of all the nudibranch we have found on the southern Oregon coast. This nudibranch has a voracious appetite and consumes 50-100% of its body weight daily. Aggregating Anemones (Anthopleura elegantissima) are the Shag Rug's preferred meal, but it will also eat other sea anemones. The color of the cerata (the fringe-like appendages) of this nudibranch is dependent on the color of the sea anemones it eats. Most Shag Rug Nudibranch are a gray-mauve color, so the one in the photo below was a little more difficult for us to identify. We found this one during a low tide at Meyers Creek Beach, south of Gold Beach.
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