BLUE SEA SLUG

Glaucus atlanticus

The Blue Sea Slug (otherwise known as the Sea Swallow, Blue Angel, Blue Dragon, Blue Sea Dragon or Blue Ocean Slug) is a small species of marine gastropod. They are a very small species of slug and only grow large enough to rest upon a fingertip. Despite their size, these slugs can be dangerous or even deadly. The slug feeds off of the Portuguese Man o’ War and other venomous siphonophores. They then store the stinging cells in sacs at the end of its finger-like cerata. It then uses these cells for its own defence. Picking one up may cause a painful sting. The animal floats on the surface of the water by means of a gas-filled sac in the stomach. The sac is located in such a way, that the animal floats upside-down. The bottom side of the animal is a dark blue while the bottom is a blue-silver. This coloration helps camouflage it in the water.