Tidepool Tim says, "This pretty little creature is a sea slug! The color displayed by nudibranchs - and they do exist in every color - is for defense. Some have stingers and toxin, and the bright colors warn other creatures of it. Even the nontoxic slugs ward away pests by mimicking the bright colors of a toxic slug. This strategy is called aposematic coloring. Not all brightly colored animals are dangerous, but we tend to avoid them."