Glaucus Atlanticus
Also known as the blue dragon, this
creature is a is a species of blue sea slug. You could find it in warm waters
of the oceans, as it floats on the surface because of a gas-filled sac in its
stomach.
These sea
slugs are pelagic: they float upside down by using the surface tension of the
water to stay up, where they are carried along by the winds and ocean currents.
Glaucus
atlanticus is camouflaged: the blue
side of their body faces upwards, blending in with the blue of the water. The
silver/grey side of the sea slugs faces downwards, blending in with the silvery
surface of the sea.
Glaucus
atlanticus feeds on
other pelagic creatures, including the venomous siphonophore, the Portuguese
man o' war. This sea slug stores stinging nematocysts from the cnidarian within
its own tissues as defense against predation. Humans handling the slug may
receive a very painful and potentially dangerous sting.
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