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Naïm Brahimi

@brahimi.naim

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Scuba diving instructor 🤿
🦎 Nature explorer | 🐠 Ocean lover
Snapping wild views & sea life 📸🐡🐙

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Maiazoon orsaki 🪱🪸

🌈 Flatworms (Order Polycladida) — small, colorful marvels of evolution! 🐛✨
They’re among the most primitive animals with bilateral symmetry, meaning they have a clear front, back, top, and bottom — just like us!
These soft-bodied creatures show the earliest signs of organ development, a simple nervous system, and three tissue layers, making them key to understanding how complex life evolved.

On their underside, one single opening serves as both mouth and anus (efficient, right? 😅). Many reef-dwelling species have pseudotentacles or even real tentacles to sense their surroundings, plus tiny eyespots that detect light. 👀

Simple body, brilliant design — proof that evolution is a true artist 🌊💫

📷@omsystem.cameras TG-7
🔦@orcatorch D710V MK2

Diving with : @blackturtledive !!!

#CoralGuardian
#KohTao
#oceanlife #protect taken in Kho Tao,Thailand by @brahimi.naim

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a year ago

Phidiana militaris is an aeolid nudibranch from the Indo-Pacific, recognized by its bright orange and yellow-tipped cerata. Its striking colors signal chemical defenses derived from its hydroid diet. 🌊
This species is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, laying eggs that hatch into planktonic larvae, continuing the cycle of life beneath the waves.

📷Om tg7
🔦@orcatorch D710V MK2

Big thanks to @memories_underwater for the guidance ♥️

#CoralReefs #wreckdiving #scubadiving #sealife #UnderwaterWorld #underwaterphotography #animal #nudibranches #ColorfulSeaSlug #crazyanimal taken in Thailand by @brahimi.naim

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a year ago

🐑 Costasiella kuroshimae 🐑

Costasiella or The Sheep slug!!
One of nature's most successful masterpiece!
This little sea slug (1.5mm here) feeds on a very specific algae, with time it absorbs photosynthetic cells.
🔆 😋
This marvelous sea slug then turns into a living solar panel!!!🪄 🐑 🐌

📷 @omsystem.cameras TG-7
🤿 @blackturtledive
🔦 @orcatorch D710V

#underwaterphotography #macrophotography #seaslug #marinelife #animal taken in Koh Tao Island, Thailand by @brahimi.naim

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6 months ago

💜🧡 Unidentia sp🧡💜

Double trouble and a taxonomic puzzle! 🌊🔍

These two stunning Unidentia sp. nudibranchs are a perfect reminder of how wild marine creatures identification can be🕵️ 🐌

Spotting them is the '' easy'' part (4mm)—actually identifying and naming them? A total headache.🧬🔬

Countless sea slugs out there are still waiting for an official scientific name, leaving us with "sp." (species unknown) for now.

Any nudibranch experts want to take a guess? 🪸✨

@blackturtledive @blackturtleconservation

Obviously using my @orcatorch D710V MK2 to reveal the vibrating colors of this scene

#underwaterphotography #marinelife #OceanLovers #sealife #seaslug taken in Koh Tao Island by @brahimi.naim

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a month ago

💛🟡Epidendrium billeeanum🟡 💛

Golden Wentletrap

Living that bright, bold, and yellow life. 💛🐚

This little guy is a Golden Wentletrap Snail, an incredible creature frequently discovered hiding in plain sight across the Indo-West Pacific.

While they look completely stunning, they are also tiny coral parasites. They blend flawlessly with yellow cup or sun corals, stealthily feeding on the coral tissue while staying perfectly camouflaged from predators.

Nature’s engineering at its finest!

Filmed on @kohtaothailand

🔦@orcatorch D710V MK2
📸@omsystem.cameras tg7
🤿 @blackturtledive @blackturtleconservation

#underwaterphotography #fish #marinelife #kohtao taken in Kho Tao,Thailand by @brahimi.naim

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2 months ago

🪷 🐉Coryphellina Lotos🐉 🪷

The Forbidden Snack: What are Hydroids? 👾

If you’ve ever spotted the gorgeous Coryphellina lotos (the stunning pink nudibranch in this video), you’ve probably seen it crawling over bushy, plant-like structures.🌱 ⁉️

Those aren't plants at all—they are hydroids, and they are the ultimate "forbidden snack" of the reef!But what exactly is a hydroid?🧑‍🔬

Here is the breakdown on these strange creatures:
They are Animal "Clusters": Hydroids are marine invertebrates closely related to jellyfish and sea anemones.🪼 🪸

Although they look like tiny ferns or feathers, they are actually colonies of microscopic polyps working together to catch plankton.🦐 🎣

They Pack a Serious Punch: Just like jellyfish, hydroids are armed with thousands of microscopic stinging cells called nematocysts.
If you touch one while diving, it can cause a nasty, painful sting.🪼 🥵

The Nudibranch’s Superpower:

This is where it gets crazy.

The Coryphellina lotos doesn't just eat hydroids for breakfast—it is completely immune to their venom!🦸

Even wilder, the nudibranch swallows the stinging cells without triggering them, moves them through its digestive tract, and stores them at the very tips of its pink tentacles (cerata).By eating hydroids, this tiny sea slug literally steals its prey’s weapons to defend itself against bigger fish! 🏴‍☠️

Filmed around @kohtaothailand

🔦 @orcatorch D710V
📸 @omsystem.cameras
🤿 @blackturtledive @blackturtleconservation

#underwaterphotography #fish #kohtao #thailand #fypage taken in Koh Tao, Thailland by @brahimi.naim

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2 months ago

⚫ 🟡 Phestilla Melanobrachia 🟡⚫

This guy is one!
A nudibranch!

Phestilla Melanobrachia is a specialist predator of the tube corals.
Funny thing about those tubastrea coral : they do not use photosynthetic algae to feed! Which means they don't really need light!🌞 🌑

🪖 🪸 In the never-ending fight for space on the sea flore, that gives this coral a tremendous advantage! IT IS ABLE TO COLONISE DARK PLACES!! (where the vast majority of corals wouldn't be able to thrive as they count on photosynthesys to feed)😋 🍜

So! If I where to give you some advice on how to find Melanobrachia....🕵️
I would tell you to look on dark areas such as stiff walls, overhead environment OR bellow them, in the rebel areas, where broken pieces of coral would fall (on a silver plate)! 😶 🤫

More about this guy coming soon! ⚫🟡?

Filmed around the island of @kohtaothailand

🔦@orcatorch D710V MK2
🤿@blackturtledive / @blackturtleconservation
📸 @omsystem.cameras

#underwaterphotography #fish #marinelife #scubadiving taken in Kho Tao,Thailand by @brahimi.naim

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2 months ago

🪙 🪱 Gold spotted flatworm 🪱 🪙

To stay in the topic of '' NOT A NUDIBRANCH '', here is the gold spotted flatworm (Acanthozoon sp.). 🧑‍🔬🧮

Flatworms are super funky looking but are not even members of what we call '' sea slugs''.🐌 🪱

Here is how you can differentiate them! 🕵️

Body Shape and Thickness

Flatworms: Extremely flat, paper-thin, and leaf-like. They do not have a distinct foot or mantle.🍃

Sea Slugs: Rounded, thicker, and more three-dimensional with a defined bottom foot and upper body. 🫧

Head Parts and Tentacles

Flatworms: Have "pseudotentacles", which are just folded edges of their front body.🐫

Sea Slugs: Have true, distinct antennae-like structures on their head called rhinophores. 📡

Gills and Breathing

Flatworms: Breathe through their skin and do not have visible feathery gills on their backs.🏻

Sea Slugs: Often display exposed or "naked" gills (like a little feather duster or flower) on their back ends.
🎒
Movement

Flatworms: Glide smoothly using tiny hairs (cilia) on their bellies or swim by rippling their edges.🪁

Sea Slugs: Creep slowly along the ground using a muscular foot.🐍

📸 @omsystem.cameras
🤿@blackturtledive
🔦 @orcatorch D710V MK2

#underwaterphotography

#biology

#fypage

#scubadiving

#travelthailand taken in Kho Tao,Thailand by @brahimi.naim

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2 months ago

🐑💚! Sheep Nudibranch! 💚🐑

⚠️⚠️!! Wroooong !! ⚠️⚠️

Just like many other sea slugs, Costasiella kuroshimae is not a nudibranch!
It is actually a mamber of the sacoglossa superorder. 🧮 🧑‍🔬

Not being a part of the big order of the Nudibranchias doesn't mean this 1.5mm guy is not interesting!😎 💥

Indeed just as many other sea slugs (nudibranch and others!), this little guys is able to steal cells from it's food sour e and use them to it's advantage.🥷 🦸

Many nudibranch will use what is called Kleptocnidy in order to steal cnidocytes (stinging cells) as a défens mechanism.🪼🤕

Sacoglossas, on the other hand, will use '' Kleptoplasty''.
Which will allow them to steal chloroplasts (photosynthetic cells) from their host algea and use them to '' creat'' their own nutrients! ⚡🌿

If you want to learn more about sea slugs, join us in one of our sea slug ecology course at blackturtleconservation!!

📸@omsystem.cameras TG-7
🔦 @orcatorch D710V MK2
🤿 @blackturtledive @blackturtleconservation

#underwaterphotography #fyp #animal #KohTao taken in Kho Tao,Thailand by @brahimi.naim

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3 months ago

“I can’t find nudis...” 🐌

You’re probably swimming right over them.

Nudibranchs are usually found where they feed or where they can blend in. Next time you dive, slow down and check these places:

🐚 1. Coral rubble
One of the best places to start. Coral rubble is full of tiny hiding spots, making it a perfect habitat for many nudibranch species.

🌿 2. Hydroids
Many nudibranchs feed almost exclusively on hydroids. If you find a patch, inspect it carefully: you might spot a nudi perfectly camouflaged among the branches.

🏖️ 3. Sand
Don’t skip the sandy bottom. Some species live on sand or near algae and seagrass.

⚓ 4. Mooring lines
Mooring lines are often covered in hydroids, algae, and other organisms that attract nudibranchs.

🕸️ 5. Old fishing nets
While they shouldn’t be in the ocean, abandoned fishing nets often become artificial reefs covered in hydroids and other marine life. They can be unexpected hotspots for nudibranchs.

✨ The best tip? Slow down. Most nudibranchs are only a few millimeters to a few centimeters long. The more time you spend looking closely, the more you’ll find. taken in Koh Tao Island by @brahimi.naim

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3 months ago

Baby stick pipefish 👶 🪾

Those little guys is actually a very close relative to sea horses 🌊 🐴

I found this little marvel diving with my friend @paulinenissen for @blackturtledive / @blackturtleconservation on the island of @kohtaothailand

I shot this video using my @orcatorch D710V MK2 as always!!

#underwaterphotography #KohTao #fish #fypage #travel taken in Koh Tao Island, Thailand by @brahimi.naim

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3 months ago

Just a little bit of sandy action 😁

Been super lucky around sandy areas lately!

Here is just a little display of what we can find around koh tao's most famous sites.

It's always worth checking outside of the dive sites 😜😜

Diving with @blackturtledive and @blackturtleconservation on @kohtaothailand

#underwaterphotography #KohTao #nature #fish #diving taken in Koh Tao Island, Thailand by @brahimi.naim

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3 months ago