Blue Dragon Sea Slug (Glaucus atlanticus), This small, brightly colored sea slug is also called the blue dragon or blue sea dragon. It is a marine mollusk that lives at the surface of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Several Spanish beaches closed after venomous blue dragon sea slugs washed ashore.
The blue dragon feeds on venomous siphonophores, such as the Portuguese man o’ war, and stores their venom in special finger-like projections on its body. This storage makes its sting very strong. Despite its beautiful look, its sting can cause pain and swelling in humans. Recently this species has been seen more often in places like the Mediterranean likely because of rising ocean temperatures.
Key Details
- Blue dragons (Glaucus atlanticus) are small sea slugs that float upside down on the ocean surface, using an air bubble for buoyancy.
- Their blue and white coloring helps them camouflage from predators.
- They feed on venomous jellyfish like the Portuguese man o’ war and store their stinging cells in finger-like appendages, making their sting stronger than their prey’s. visit here
- While their sting can cause severe pain and symptoms in humans But it is not deadly.
- Blue dragons occur in the warm tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
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