Blue sea dragon.
(Sylke Rohrlach/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0)
Last week, a 'blue fleet' of tiny dragons forced the closure of several beaches in Spain.
Sometimes referred to as blue angels, the colorful creatures are a rare sight in the Mediterranean. Viewed from above, the silver-grey 'bellies' of these surface-floating sea slugs (Glaucous atlanticus) camouflage with the waves. But from below, they flash gorgeous streaks of bright blue.
While stunning to look at from a distance, the 3-centimeter (1.2-inch) long marvels should not be touched. If they had an anthem, it would surely be Beyoncé's Pretty Hurts.
They themselves are only venomous because their prey is, though. When sea dragons eat blue bottles like the Portuguese Man-O'-war, they ingest the stinging cells and incorporate them into their finger-like appendages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m-zXqNGUXI&t=2s
If a human touches the tendrils, they may experience similar symptoms to being stung by a Portuguese Man-O'-war, including redness, inflammation, nausea, pain, vomiting, or an acute allergic reaction.
Fearful for beach-goers who may not know about the venomous creatures, the mayor of Guardamar del Segura José Luis Sáez decided to raise the red flag and prohibit swimming until the blue fleet had passed.
Local police also warned that if the blue dragons are seen on the sand, they should not be touched, as they can cause painful burns to the skin.
Even other blue dragons need to be careful of each other. When these hermaphroditic nudibranchs bump into each other and mate, they must ensure their non-stingy bits are the only parts that touch, making for quite a gripping ritual.
It's unclear why the blue sea dragons ended up on the coast of Spain, far from their typical tropical waters. Given that the creatures are limited by warm temperatures.
The Life of Earth
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