Spanish dancer
nounUK /ˌspænɪʃ ˈdɑːnsə(ɹ)/ · US /ˌspænɪʃ ˈdænsəɹ/
Etymology From Spanish (adjective) + dancer (noun), probably from the resemblance of the animal to a flamenco dancer in a reddish dress with ruffles.
1
A species of nudibranch sea slug, Hexabranchus sanguineus, commonly growing up to a length of 25 centimetres (about 9.8 inches), with some in the Red Sea up to 40 centimetres (15.7 inches).
- The Spanish dancer nudibranch Hexabranchus sanguineus[…], a large brightly colored shell-less sea slug (Gastropoda : Opisthobranchia) common to Indo-Pacific coral reefs, derives a potent chemical defense from a sponge that it eats (Halichondria sp.).1988 July 14, Joseph R. Pawlik, Michael R. Kernan, Tadeusz F. Molinski, Mary Kay Harper, D. John Faulkner, “Defensive Chemicals of the Spanish Dancer Nudibranch Hexabranchus sanguineus and Its Egg Ribbons: Macrolides Derived from a Sponge Diet”, in Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, volume 119, number 2, Amsterdam, North Holland: Elsevier, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, abstract, page 99:
- How many Hexabranchus species are there? […] Of all nudibranch species, the "Spanish dancer" (H[exabranchus] sanguineus) is one of the most famous and most puzzling with over fifty names attributed to it.2023 June, Yara Tibiriçá, Marta Pola, Cory Pittman, Terrence M. Gosliner, Manuel A. Malaquias, Juan Lucas Cervera, “A Spanish Dancer? No! A Troupe of Dancers: A Review of the Family Hexabranchidae Bergh, 1891 (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia)”, in Organisms Diversity & Evolution, volume 23, number 4, Berlin: Springer [for the Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik], →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2, column 1:
2
A species of deep-sea sea cucumber, Enypniastes eximia, with webbed swimming fin-like structures at the front and back of its body.
- Australian scientists happened upon a unique animal dubbed the "headless chicken monster" during a recent expedition to test new underwater camera technology. The animal, also nicknamed the "Spanish dancer" but known to the scientific community as Enypniastes eximia, was spotted in the Antarctic Ocean off of eastern Antarctica, according to the Australian government's Department of the Environment and Energy.2018 October 21, Danny Clemens, “‘Headless Chicken Monster’ Spotted Swimming in Antarctic Ocean”, in KABC-TV, archived from the original on 14 Nov 2025: