The tiny sea monster or undiscovered Pokémon that washed up on a beach in Queensland, Australia is even weirder than it looks.
First of all it’s got a fucking cool name, it’s called The Blue Dragon, and well its scientific name is Glaucus atlanticus which doesn’t quite have the same punch. Slightly less cool is that it’s actually a type of slug.
It still looks absolutely amazing though, the strange stripes on the slug’s skin aren’t for decoration. They camouflage the blue dragon so that predators both above and below can’t eat him. The Blue Dragon floats on the ocean’s surface belly-up, showing it’s deep blue belly, which blends in with the blue of the sea. The slugs back is striped silver, makes it difficult for under water predators to see them against the surface of the water.
The way it looks though isn’t the strangest thing about the Blue Dragon. Unlike you or I who are sent running when jelly fish are in the water, the sea slug eats the venom in the jellyfish’s stinging cells. It’s favourite snack being the Portuguese Man o’ War’s particularly painful venom.
The Dragon eats some of the venom but the majority is concentrated in its own tentacles. This concentration makes it even more potent, and makes the Blue Dragon capable of reducing a full grown adult man to a sobbing toddler if you’re unlucky enough to touch one.
The reported effects of blue dragon venom are: burning, hives, and dark, damaged patches of skin. So as cool as they look I wouldn’t recommend touching one.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.