Nature & Environment

'Blue dragon' sea slug washes up in Australia

By T.K. Randall
November 22, 2015 ·  13 comments

The slug has a rather unique appearance. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 Sylke Rohrlach With its vibrant sapphire coloring and unusual wing-like appendages, Glaucus atlanticus is quite unlike anything else that you are likely to see at the seaside.

The rare species, which typically spends its existence floating upside-down on the water's surface, lives in warm, tropical regions and feeds on venomous animals such as the Portuguese man o' war.Measuring up to 3cm in length the slug also possesses a powerful poison of its own, but while it is unlikely to do much harm to humans, picking one up with your bare hands is generally ill-advised.

Due to their rarity, finding one washed up along the shoreline is a unique and interesting event. The most recent specimen (see below) was found by Lucinda Fry on a beach in northeastern Australia.


Source: HNGN | Comments (13)

Tags: Blue Dragon