What is Glaucus Atlanticus? If you see it, you will inevitably remember dragons. However, in fact Glaucus Atlaticus is a marine gastropod mollusk, member of Glaucidae family, that has 2 genus: Glaucus Atlanticus and Glaucilla marginata. Blue dragon is found in temperate and tropical waters of South Africa, Europe and east coast of Australia and Mozambique.

Name belongs to the group of mollusks but it cannot produce shell. It is also known as blue sea slug or blue dragon. Name Glaucus takes us to the ancient Greece. According to Greek mythology, Glaucus was sea god, who was forced to live in the sea for his entire life. As for Glaucus Atlaticus it was first studied in 17th century by Foster and until 19th century was considered as insect that lives in the sea.

 

This slender animal is up to 3 cm long, it has air bubble inside its belly and this why GlaucusAtlaticus floats on the surface of ocean. They habitant is pelagic- wind or current can take it. Blue dragons are good at orientation too, if something turns them over, Glaucus return to their old condition, because they know on which side should be facing.
Some people may reckon that this is tiny creature, that has most carefree life in the world, is the cutest and the safest animal in the world but in fact, it can be very dangerous.
Small invertebrate eats hydrozoans – most poisonous Portuguese Man-o-war. (This by the way is fatal for human) Glaucus Atlaticus can easily swallow it. It has protective barriers (hard disks) inside body that secretes special mucus.
After eating, Glaucus Atlaticus stores poison inside body for future to defend itself. It sucks poison by special structure – cerata and keeps it in canidosacs, 84 small sacs on the upper surface of the body. Some scientists say that, if this creature collects much poison inside body, can become far more dangerous than Man-o-War.

 

Another instrument against predators is – camouflage called countershading. Blue dragon has silver grey color from its dorsal side and dark pale blue ventrally. It helps Glaucus Atlaticus to stay invisible for air predators, as well as sea enemies and continue safe floating on the ocean surface.
One more fact that is interesting is cannibalism among members of this species. Blue dragons eat each other if they cannot find enough food.

 

As all heterobranches, Glaucus Atlaticus is also hermaphrodite. It has both reproductive organs. After mating, both slugs produce eggs. They lay eggs on driftwood; some of them use skeletons of enemies. As skeletons also float, young blue dragons live there until airbags are developed.
If one takes out Glaucus Atlaticus from water it rolls itself and becomes a ball, as soon as you put it back in the water it opens.

Considering all these fact, we must be careful if we suddenly meet these tiny creatures while surfing or swimming.