The glaucus atlanticus or the blue dragon sea slug is a brilliant blue with silver color and a potent sting. More commonly known as the blue dragon, it is a soft-bodied marine mollusk, approximately 1.2 inches long. It lives in the warm temperate, tropical waters found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, but can also be sporadically found along the coasts of South Africa, Australia, Bermuda, and the Gulf of Mexico.
It lives in the open ocean, often found floating upside down on the ocean’s surface. It remains buoyant by swallowing air bubbles which are stored in a gas-filled sac in its stomach. It is camouflaged against the surface of the water using a process called countershading. Its blue blends with the ocean surface when viewed from above. The silver blends with the light from above. It is not a strong swimmer, depending on winds and ocean currents. A group of blue dragons is called a blue fleet. If found stranded or deceased on the coast, it can still be a hazard to touch or pick up.
The blue dragon’s main diet is venomous creatures like the Portuguese man o’ war. Amazingly, it is immune to the venom of its prey. It absorbs the stinging cells from these organisms and stores them in specialized sacs. This enables the blue dragon to deliver a potent sting and makes it dangerous to touch. Its sting is extremely painful and causes nausea and vomiting along with symptoms that affect the skin at the point of the sting. In areas where the dragon is sighted, authorities prohibit swimming to protect swimmers.
The blue dragon is a stunning creature to the eye, but like so many things in this world that attract us, it can end in pain and suffering.
Sources: biologyinsights.com/blue-dragon-sea-slug-where-do-they-live; wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaucus_atlanticus