Blue Dragons

News: Several beaches in Spain and Famara beaches in Lanzarote were closed earlier this month after blue dragons began to wash ashore.

About Blue Dragons

• Blue dragons are mollusks and belong to the nudibranch family, which means they are related to snails.
• Scientific name: Glaucus atlanticus.
• It is also called the sea swallow, blue angel, or blue dragon.
• Habitat: Blue dragons live in warm tropical and subtropical waters across the world.
• Distribution: They are most commonly spotted along the coasts of Australia, South Africa, and parts of Europe.
• Characteristics
  • They float upside-down at the ocean’s surface using a gas-filled sac in their stomach to stay buoyant.
  • Size: They usually grow to a length of about 4 centimetres.
  • Diet: Blue dragons feed primarily on the Portuguese man-o-war and other venomous jellyfish.
    • They are immune to the venom of their prey.
    • After feeding, they steal the stinging cells (nematocysts) from jellyfish and store them for their own defense.
  • Appearance: Blue dragons have a striking blue upper side, which helps them blend in with the sea.
    • Their underside is white, allowing them to blend with sunlight when seen from below.
• Ecological Role: Blue dragons help control the population of jellyfish, including the dangerous Portuguese man-o-war.
  • They also serve as food for sea turtles, some fish, and seabirds.
• Predators: Sea turtles are one of the main predators of blue dragons and are not affected by their venom.
• Threat
  • Ocean pollution, especially plastics that resemble jellyfish.
  • Climate change also threatens them by altering the ocean currents and temperatures that they rely on for survival.
• Blue dragons are dangerous to humans because their sting can cause pain, swelling, nausea, and breathing difficulties.
  • Even dead blue dragons can sting because the stinging cells remain active after death.