Blue dragon sea slugs can be poisonous. Experts warned they are poisonous to humans. One sting leads to pain, nausea, vomiting, rashes, and allergic reactions. Their venomous cells defend them against predators. Humans risk painful, potentially fatal stings if they pick them up.
Only grey side-gilled sea slugs (Pleurobranchaea maculata) are known to be highly poisonous. Do not touch any dead or alive sea life on beaches as it may be poisonous. Some sea slugs are venomous.
Blue dragons (Glaucus atlanticus) are a species of sea slugs. They belong to the gastropod mollusks family Glaucidae. Some thought they were extinct. But populations exist across the world’s oceans. The IUCN Red List classifies them as endangered. They are also called blue glaucus, sea swallow, or blue angel. They float on the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans’ surface waters. Despite their appearance, they can be dangerous to their prey, predators, and humans.
Blue dragons feed on organisms like the Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish. They store the prey’s stinging nematocysts. So they become dangerous predators themselves. They have no internal poison. Their diet makes them extremely hazardous.
Touching them directly results in painful stings. Symptoms resemble the man o’ war’s stings. They are pelagic and likely live throughout the oceans.
Internet fame now threatens them. People want them as pets. But their diet makes captivity impractical. One sting causes nausea, pain, vomiting, rashes, and allergies. Go to a hospital if stung.
Can you touch blue dragon sea slug?
The blue dragon sea slug stores the man o’ war’s stinging nematocysts within its finger-like appendages. One sting from this little guy can lead to nausea, pain, vomiting, acute allergic contact dermatitis, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. In recent years, the internet has caused the species to become very popular. Many people want to add them to their aquariums.
If you come across a blue sea dragon while strolling near the waterline, do not touch it. Its sting can produce various symptoms including nausea, vomiting, severe pain, redness, papules, and fluid-filled blisters. They don’t make good pets because of their dietary needs. Humans handling the slug may receive a very painful and potentially dangerous sting.
While most species are not well-suited to life in captivity due to their specialized diets, there are some sea slug species that by chance or by choice make interesting aquarium inhabitants! The blue dragon stores the man o’ war’s stinging nematocysts within its extremities. These cells are stored and concentrated, so when it’s touched, the blue dragon can release a powerful punch.
If you do happen to touch a blue sea dragon, wash the affected area with seawater and avoid applying lotions or oils that could increase the stinging sensation. Pain medications can also be taken to ease the discomfort. The blue sea dragon cannot be a pet. This wild caught species is very small. Keeping them in captivity is not easy.
Is the blue dragon sea slug rare?
A rare, blue dragon sea slug washed onto a Texas beach. “Keep your distance if you spot one,” officials warned, though they are a special find. The blue glaucus, or sea swallow, is a small, blue sea slug with a painful sting. Their main food is the Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish. The blue dragon stores the jellyfish’s poison to defend against predators.
Usually found in warm Australian, African and European waters, monsoons sometimes wash blue dragons onto Asian beaches. They live in tropical waters between 20-30°C with strong currents to distribute their prey. Though adapted for open oceans, winds may leave them stranded on shores where they should not be touched. Their powerful venom can hospitalize humans.
Upon finding blue dragons on a Padre Island beach, a boy wisely left them alone. The blue dragon’s stunning colors disguise its dangerous sting. Though alluring, blue dragons should be admired from a distance even when washed up on shore.
Is the blue sea slug extinct?
The blue sea slug is endangered. While spread across the world, the IUCN Red List classified it as endangered. Also called blue glaucus, sea swallow, or blue angel, they live in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, particularly in tropical waters. Their upper side is blue or blue-white while the lower side is silver to camouflage against predators and sunlight. They can give a painful sting with symptoms like the Portuguese man o’ war.
Known as the blue dragon, sea swallow or blue angel, they live throughout the temperate and tropical Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. The blue coloration protects from ultraviolet sunlight. They are hermaphrodites that produce eggs and sperm.
Despite remarkable appearance, these sea creatures can be dangerous for prey, predators, and humans. At up to 3 centimetres long, the blue dragon floats partially kept afloat by a gas filled stomach sac. Blue helps protect these surface-dwellers from UV light and camouflages them. They hunt venomous animals for food. Their hue camouflages against the sea and bright surface to keep invisible to predators above and below. They pack a venomous sting. The relationship with humans is generally minimal, but their venom means they should be handled cautiously. However, they are sometimes collected for aquariums due to striking appearance.