[Animals] The blue dragon appears exceptionally on the coasts of Spain

[#Steeven.™]

This strange animal is easy to identify: it is brightly colored and floats on the surface of the water. In addition, in its extremities it stores poison in a very curious way.

The coasts of Spain receive an unexpected visitor.

In the Las Estacas cove, in Orihuela (Alicante), in August 2021, some bathers spot three strange organisms stranded on the seashore. Given the uncertainty, they alert the lifeguard services, who transport the animals to the Department of Zoology of the University of Murcia. Two days later, the same scene takes place in Torrevieja.

These are specimens of the blue dragon (Glaucus atlanticus), a species that belongs to the family of nudribranch gastropods and whose natural habitat is the open sea. That is why its appearance on the Mediterranean coast is considered an exceptional event.

The news becomes relevant almost two years later because, until now, there has been no official record of the apparition. Along with Mediterranean Marine Science, Quercus magazine has closely monitored the phenomenon and recently published: "The six blue dragons found in Orihuela and Torrevieja were found alive, although they ended up dying after a few hours."

On the other hand, both entities have been in charge of transmitting to the lifeguard services a series of recommendations in case more specimens appear in the coming months. Although it is an animal that, by nature, does not frequent the Mediterranean coast, experts speculate that its appearance could be related to the increase in sea temperature.

Identifying it is very easy since its peculiarity, as the name indicates, is its striking electric blue and gray color. It is a small animal: its size ranges between 2 and 3 cm. In fact, it fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. Furthermore, unlike other marine creatures, the blue dragon floats on the surface of the water.

 

Is the blue dragon poisonous?
Yes. This strange animal stores poison in the cerata (also called “feathered wings”) that decorate its body. The way in which it acquires it is curious: it extracts the poison from its prey (jellyfish or Portuguese frigatebirds) and uses it to attack future prey. In other words, their way of hunting consists of giving their prey their own poison.

Precisely for this reason, it is not a danger to humans. It only attacks if it feels threatened and the friction is similar to that caused by a jellyfish. This is why, despite being an unknown species to bathers in the Mediterranean, an encounter with the blue dragon should not go beyond alerting the corresponding services.

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com.es/mundo-animal/dragon-azul-aparece-forma-excepcional-costa-mediterranea_19779