Super-Rare “Blue Dragon” Washes Up On Beach in Australia

Super-Rare “Blue Dragon” Washes Up On Beach in Australia
Jack Phillips
Updated:

A small, real-life “dragon” made a rare appearance on the Australian beach, according to reports this week.

It’s not really a “dragon,” but it’s actually a sea slug, Glaucus atlanticus, known as the “blue dragon.” This rare creature is also venomous and has a painful sting. If you see the slug, don’t try to handle it.

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaucus_atlanticus#/media/File:Blue_dragon-glaucus_atlanticus_(8599051974).jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia commons</a>

<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Glaucus_atlant..jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia commons</a>

It grows between 3 and 4 centimeters, and it uses the bright, neon-blue color to blend in with the water’s surface.

“If you are ever lucky enough to find a blue dragon, you should never, ever touch it; reported effects include burning, hives, and dark, damaged patches of skin. It’s not known what happened to the person holding G. atlanticus in the photograph below, but it likely wasn’t pleasant,” MentalFloss adds.

Griffith University marine invertebrates expert Kylie Pitt said it’s good the Facebook user who uploaded the viral video didn’t handle the slug.

“I have handled them before and wasn’t stung, but I would not recommend anyone pick them up because they can have a painful sting,” Professor Pitt told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

Pitt added that the slugs are quite strange.

“They are really weird,” she said. “The glaucus eat blue bottles – they float upside down and move around using the water’s surface tension.”

 

---

Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
twitter
Related Topics