The blue dragon, also known as the sea butterfly and scientifically called Glaucus atlanticus, which is a mollusk similar to sea slugs, has once again been seen in the waters of Orihuegla, Torrevieja and Guardamar. Quite a surprise, since they had not seen each other since 1705.
“It is an extraordinary finding that increases the aura of mystery about the presence on our coasts of this small marine invertebrate”, Juan Antonio Pujol, Raquel López Esclápez and Nicolás Ubero have detailed in the magazines ‘Mediterranean Marine Science’ and ‘Quercus’.
These animals, characteristic of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, are easier to find in warm and temperate waters. They feed on jellyfish, including the well-known and feared Portuguese man-of-war. Due to their diet, they store poisonous chemicals from their prey in their stomach, which makes them stinging to humans.
Despite their popular name, they are not dangerous. But, according to the researchers, “they are capable of concentrating in their tissues the stinging cells characteristic of the species they consume, which is why they are usually incorrectly perceived as one of the most poisonous nudibranchs on the planet because the Portuguese man-of-war is one of their prey.” “, the researchers add.
