Sea Dragons

Apparently, a lot of people have heard of this glorious creature before, but it is new to me! I wanted to post a few pictures of the 'Blue Dragon', a.k.a Glaucus atlanticus. It is a sea slug, a mollusc from the Glaucidae family. They are a small, pelagic nudibranch, only reaching up to 3cm, which is found in warmer, tropical waters. The slug actually floats upside down on the surface of the water due to an air-filled sac it has inside its stomach. It also has a very interesting diet. Because it has an immunity to the stings, Glaucus atlanticus can actual feed on some very large, venomous creatures, including the Portugguese Man O'War (Physalia physalis), the Blue Button (Porpita porpita) and the violet snail (Janthina janthina). One of the main reasons why this sea slug is so spectacular though, is its appearance. The following photos show you just why this creature gets its nick name, what an exquisite organism.