RED SEA REEF WITH JEWELFISH, oil on canvas, by Paul EricksonTROPICAL BLOSSOM, oil on canvas, by Paul EricksonFIRE OPAL, oil on canvas, by Paul EricksonRAINFOREST BIRD, oil on canvas, by Paul EricksonNASSAU MEDICINE GARDEN, oil on canvas, by Paul EricksonDREAMING OF BIRDS, oil on canvas, by Paul Erickson (not for sale)OCEAN’S EDGE, acrylic on masonite, by Susan EricksonBEACH IN ACADIA, oil on canvas, by Paul EricksonFIRE OPAL II aka SPACE JUNK, oil on canvas, by Paul EricksonAcademic pencil drawing by Paul Erickson, Montserrat College of Art, copy of DA VINCI’S HEAD OF A YOUTH (not for sale)NATURAL STOP SIGN DETAIL OF SPANISH DANCER NUDIBRANCH aka SEA SLUG
In our new road show Dazzle: How Nature Uses Colors to Attract, Repel, Disguise, and Fool, we spotlight this Spanish Dancer sea slug (nudibranch) I photographed in the Indo-Pacific.
To predators, the marine mollusk’s dazzling color apparently say STOP! CONSUME AT YOUR OWN RISK. That’s because this red sea slug contains a toxic chemical obtained from a sponge the 6-inch long, soft-bodied mollusk loves to eat.
Backstory: pharmacologists have studied this chemical from the slug—an anti-fungal agent that fights off Candida albicans.
