This peculiar creature has only recently become famous and
many people have still not even heard of it. The most amazing feature of this
animal is its stunning appearance, looking like a cross between a dragon and a
Pokémon! In fact Glaucus atlanticus is a sea slug, in the group Gastropoda,
that also includes snails and land slugs. G.atlanticus is actually rather small reaching a maximum size of around 3cm. Despite its small
size this miniature dragon mimic has many amazing characteristics. They use gas
bubbles in their stomachs to float in the water column and pursue prey using appendages
to swim. Amazingly G.atlanticus feeds on hydrozoans, including the infamous
deadly Portuguese Man O’ War. They have the ability to harness poison from the
stings of prey and use this as a defensive sting themselves, which unlike most
sea slugs, can hurt humans. Finally, G.atlanticus is also a hermaphrodite
possessing the reproductive organs of both sexes!
Spread the word about this amazing little critter and check
out the video below:
