The Blue Dragon Sea Slug.
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Plenty of strange and fanciful creatures have been invented within the long tradition of lore and mythology, but few real-life beings have been so aptly named after one of those from fiction.
Meet the blue dragon sea slug. Common names include the: sea swallow, blue angel, blue glaucus, blue dragon, blue sea slug and blue ocean slug. — probably among the most beautiful animals on the planet.
Picture source: Wikipedia. Click picture for a larger image.
The Blue Dragon Sea Slug (Glaucus atlanticus) has several names. It is also known as a Sea Dragon, Sea Lizard, Blue Ocean Slug, Blue Glaucus and Sea Swallow. This little creature measure about two inches in length and is one of the most beautiful of the oceans' inhabitants with its striking blue coloring; however, its beautiful appearance is deceiving as it has quite the sting from the tendrils that make its tail. The sting comes from nematocysts a poison that is usually found in cnidarians, but the Blue Dragon Sea Slug is not a cnidarian.
Their favorite food is the potent Portuguese Man o' War. This tiny little slug can cut large pieces from large prey using their radula tough toothy tongues that are found in all mollusks. They also feed on the Blue Button and By the Wind Sailor, who is also a poisonous hydrozoan. They have also been known to cannibalize other Blue Dragon Sea Slugs when their natural prey is unavailable. The Blue Dragon Sea Slug is immune to the stinging cells they are so fond of; this is because their stomachs do not digest the nematocysts. These amazing creatures suck the poison into the fingers of their tails and there are eighty-four of these equipped with small sacs called canidosocs in each finger. The tail with its many fingers is often called jazz hands. The stings are accumulated until they are needed to protect themselves against predators. Their stings are more toxic than from the Portuguese Man o' War because the Blue Dragon Sea Slug is very selective and takes in only the strongest and most developed for their needs.
They can be found around the world in temperate and tropical waters floating freely upside down with its blue foot resting above its body. As it is floating around the silvery back faces down helping to camouflage this small slug in its natural habitat. They are equipped with gas sac inside its stomach that is used for the sole purpose of floating in the water, where it floats is dependent upon the direction of the wind. The Blue Dragon Sea Slug is hermaphrodite, and both lay a long chain of eggs floating in the water on driftwood or even on the skeleton of prey they devoured. When the larvae hatch they are equipped with shell similar to a snail that they soon grow out of, stretching out like the adults finding the appropriate prey to fill their fingers with the stings needed to protect themselves from predators.
Picture source: Wikipedia.The blue sea slug is shown here out of water, and thus collapsed; these were found on a beach.
Picking up the animal can result in a painful sting, with symptoms similar to those caused by the Portuguese man o' war.
Picture source: Google and Pinterest.
Glaucus atlanticus is able to swallow the venomous nematocysts from the Portuguese Man o' War, and store them in the extremities of its finger-like cerata. This protects the sea slug from predation.
People sometimes pick up these unusual blue sea slugs after they wash up on beaches. When humans are stung by Glaucus atlanticus, the venom stored in the nematocysts is injected under the skin. In stings from the Portuguese Man o' War, this venom has been shown to cause fever, shock, and problems with the heart and lungs. In very rare cases this venom has even led to death.
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