Editing Nudibranch (section)

==Life cycle==
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[[File:Nembrotha rutilans Nick Hobgood.jpg|thumb|right|Mating behavior in ''[[Nembrotha purpureolineata]]'']]
[[File:Editing Image-Acanthodoris lutea laying eggs 2.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Acanthodoris lutea]]'' laying eggs]]

Nudibranchs are [[hermaphrodite|hermaphroditic]], thus having a set of reproductive organs for both sexes, but they cannot fertilize themselves.<ref name="aquaticcommunity">{{cite web |url=http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/sw/nudibranch.php |title=Nudibranch |publisher=Aquaticcommunity.com |access-date=2013-07-04}}</ref> Mating usually takes a few minutes and involves a dance-like courtship. Nudibranchs typically deposit their eggs within a gelatinous spiral,<ref name="Reproductive systems ">{{cite journal |author=Klussmann-Kolb A |title=The Reproductive Systems of the Nudibranchia (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia): Comparative Histology and Ultrastructure of the Nidamental Glands with Aspects of Functional Morphology |journal=Zoologischer Anzeiger |year=2001 |volume=240 |issue=2 |pages=119–136 |doi=10.1078/0044-5231-00011}}</ref> which is often described as looking like a ribbon. The number of eggs varies; it can be as few as just 1 or 2 eggs (''[[Vayssierea felis]]'') or as many as an estimated 25 million (''[[Aplysia fasciata]]''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rudman |first=W. B. |date=2010-06-09 |title=How many eggs do sea slugs lay? |url=http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3086 |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=The Sea Slug Forum |language=en}}</ref>). The eggs contain [[toxin]]s from sea sponges as a means of deterring predators.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dive-the-world.com/creatures-nudibranchs.php |title=Diving with Nudibranchs |website=Dive the World}}</ref> After hatching, the infants look almost identical to their adult counterparts, albeit smaller. Infants may also have fewer [[cerata]]. The lifespan of nudibranchs can range from a few weeks to a year, depending on the species.