sea slug; nudibranch
Refers to various marine gastropods, especially nudibranchs. The term is used broadly for colorful sea slugs.
See also: ナマコ
Many sea slug species are brightly colored.
I found a rare sea slug while diving.
Usually written in katakana; the kanji form 海牛 is rare and may be confused with かいぎゅう (manatee).
Rare kanji spelling; more commonly read as かいぎゅう (manatee).
Hiragana spelling, less common than katakana but still used.
Compound of 海 (umi, 'sea') and 牛 (ushi, 'cow, ox'), literally 'sea cow'. The name likely comes from the slug's cow-like tentacles (rhinophores) resembling horns.