NOV 21, 2015

Rare Blue Dragon Washes Up on Australian Beach

WRITTEN BY: Anthony Bouchard

The blue dragon is a sea slug that likes to stay in open waters throughout the tropical regions of the world where it can easily dine on the venomous Portuguese Man O’ War (jellyfish) and exhibit absolutely no nasty side effects from the venom because it’s completely immune to it.
 
That’s a pretty hefty feat considering a blue dragon is, on average, about as big as a quarter and a Portuguese Man O’ War is, at times, larger than a fully-grown person.
 


Nonetheless, they store the venom that they obtain while feasting on jellyfish inside of their own bodies, where the venom is then re-purposed for its own self-defense needs against larger predators where it’s just as, if not more, venomous than it was before the blue dragon got ahold of it.
 
One of these creatures has been found washed up on a beach in Queensland, Australia and is getting a lot of attention this week, as they’re not very common to come across. The video of the creature on the beach’s sands, originally shared by Facebook user Lucinda Fry, can be seen below:
 

 
Despite being a sea slug, they are truly beautiful creatures to behold. With their shiny blue and white color schemes and their attractive lines and interesting angel-like bodily shape, they attract a lot of attention when spotted.

Should you see one, you probably shouldn't go around poking it, as their potential to store such harmful venom can leave you with a nasty sting.

Source: Lucinda Fry