Conversations Holiday Listening: Nerida's nudibranchs, sea dragons and siphonophores
Jan 1, 2026
In this fascinating chat, Dr. Nerida Wilson, a marine molecular biologist from the Western Australian Museum, dives into the wonders of deep-sea life. She shares her awe-inspiring first sighting of a nudibranch and reveals their stunning diversity and unique adaptations. Discover the enchanting sea dragons with their camouflaging leafy appendages and learn how AI is being used to monitor their populations. Nerida also recounts her thrilling expeditions into the Ningaloo Canyons, including spotting a colossal siphonophore and exploring the depths with cutting-edge ROV technology.
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High-Resolution Access To Deep Walls
- The ROV Sebastian reached 4,500 metres, letting the team explore canyon walls near the vehicle's rated depth.
- Deep ROV capability reveals fine-scale life that trawls would miss or damage.
Seeing The Small Things Changes Perspective
- High-resolution ROV imagery reveals vast micro-communities on rock walls, showing many tiny species previously overlooked.
- Direct observation avoids the coarse, damaging sampling of trawls and reveals true diversity.
The Giant Spiral Siphonophore
- The team encountered an enormous spiral siphonophore around 600 metres during a Ningaloo Canyons dive and watched the control-room gasp as it appeared.
- The siphonophore formed a UFO-like feeding spiral with stinging cells and huge, unfamiliar scale.