Blue Dragon (Glaucus atlanticus)
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"Bluebottles" (prey of "Blue Dragons")
Bluebottle
Posted on 11/18/2015 7:02:36 AM PST by ETL
Some say it's like something out of a science fiction movie, others say it's from another world. But the bizarre and dangerous sea creature a woman discovered washed ashore at Broadbeach along the Gold Coast of Australia is actually a blue dragon.
Lucinda Fry came across the creepy, electric-blue sea slug in Queensland and captured video of the little sea creature, which Daily Mail Australia posted: [video at link]
The nudibranch is not that big, measuring 1.2 inches at maturity, but it packs a punch.
"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 Kylie Pitt of Griffith University told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
The sea creature was said to be following its favorite food source, bluebottles, also known as Portuguese man o' wars that have been blown onto Gold Coast shorelines by easterly winds. The blue dragons eat the stingers of the bluebottles.
"Instead of digesting the sting cells, they store them on the outside of their body," Pitt told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Incidentally, the scientific name of the blue dragon is Glaucus atlanticus. But by any name, this sea creature is a strange one.
Blue Dragon (Glaucus atlanticus)
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"Bluebottles" (prey of "Blue Dragons")
Bluebottle
Blue Dragon Ping!
Blue Dragon/Bluebottles Ping!
Looks like a kin to Portuguese Man-O-War.
Thanks!
This kind of post keeps FR interesting.
Fascinating what can wash up from the sea. I’d never seen one of these before...
Fear not good people. The Dragonborn comes!
“The preceding program was brought to you by Blue Dragon beer! Look for the blue bottle at your grocer’s today!”
Hot n Spicey Sushi.
bizarre sea creature huh? 8-)
Goes well with a horn of Honningbrew meade or Blackbriar ale I think. Not sure how the red with meat, white with fish thing applies in this case with a blue Dragon-fish-thing.
Thanks for the ping!
That’s some spicy tuna there! I think I see Charlie Sheen in the background.
As far as the marine life, it’s amazing to see soo many crazy designs. Just imagine what might be lurking out in the cosmos
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