Blue dragons

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About Blue dragons

The blue dragon (Glaucus atlanticus) is a type of mollusk known as a nudibranch.
They also are known as blue sea slugs, blue angels, and sea swallows.
It rarely grows larger than three centimeters long.
An air bubble stored in its stomach keeps the blue dragon afloat.
Distribution: It can be found drifting on the surface of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans in temperate and tropical waters.
Diet:
- They feed on venomous siphonophores such as the Portuguese man-o-war and bluebottle, which also occur in ocean surface waters.
- The dragons appear immune to the nematocysts – stinging cells – of these jellyfish-like creatures.
- They incorporate these cells into multiple finger-like structures protruding from their body which provides them with a potent form of protection from predators.
The slug isn’t venomous all on its own, however, it stores the stinging nematocysts created by the creatures on which it feeds.
Its sting can cause problems, especially to children and elderly.
One sting from this little creature can lead to nausea, pain, vomiting, acute allergic contact dermatitis, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
They are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs.

Q1) What is Mollusk?

It is any soft-bodied invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, usually wholly or partly enclosed in a calcium carbonate shell secreted by a soft mantle covering the body. Along with the insects and vertebrates, it is one of the most diverse groups in the animal kingdom, with nearly 100,000 described species.

Source: Beachgoers, beware! Venomous blue dragons spotted near seashore in Besant Nagar