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Australian beachgoers warned about ‘Blue dragon,’ a beautiful water creature that can inflict a painful sting

Beachgoers in Australia are being cautioned about a water creature that is attractive to look at but might sting them painfully. Numerous blue dragons, also known as glaucus atlanticus, have been seen this month washing up on beaches in New South Wales and Queensland, prompting an ocean expert to warn beachgoers about the dangers the brightly coloured sea slugs can present, according to 7news.

According to specialists who talked with 7news, most beachgoers do not notice the blue dragons until they have washed up on the shore. However, due to how painful their stings may be, swimmers may detect their presence in the water.

That’s because the animal stores its prey’s stinging cells, known as cnidocytes, in sacs and feeds on species like the poisonous Portuguese man of war, according to David Hicks, dean of the University of Texas School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences.

The temperate and tropical seas of the Pacific,  the Atlantic, and Indian oceans are abode to these colourful sea slugs.

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