Doug, a friend in Hong Kong, sent me this photograph.
According to him:
"Just outside the Wellcome supermarket near my wife's sister's place in Hong Kong are about a dozen of those Japanese-style vending machines that give out little toys in balls. Most were full of the usual sort of robots, dolls and gaudy keychains (which of course are all great!), but there was one there selling miniature toy nudibranchs. My daughter insisted on buying one (after seeing your photos a year or two back she did a show and tell on nudibranchs), and she ended up with Thecacera pennigera".
Doug ended his email with:
"By the way, note the use of abundant window light in the photograph and the completely natural pose of the animal resting on a plastic stand on a desk, the native environment for this particular creature, which it is particularly well adapted to. I have been trying to catch it feeding but it is extremely secretive and I have never even seen it move!"
Of course, I was delighted to read about his little girl taking an interest in the ocean...but I can't help but get the feeling that Doug is making fun of me!
By the way, here's a real Thecacera pennigera, feeding on a bryozoan nonetheless...take that Doug!