2.8M views · 19K reactions | Correction: This species is a dorid, not an aeolid. The appendage is a gill plume used for respiration—not a cerata. Unlike other mollusks, these colorful sea slugs don't have shells or gills. | National Geographic | Facebook

A short shaky video of one of the many Glaucus Atlanticus (aka sea swallows or sea dragons) seen on Fish Hoek Beach on Monday 16 November 2020 | Fish Hoek Beach

The blue dragon, known as Glaucus atlanticus, is a sea slug that defends itself by converting its prey's venom into its own weapon. Measuring just about an inch, it floats atop the ocean where its silvery-blue color camouflages it from both above and below. Its primary meal is the Portuguese man owar, a creature with potent venomous tentacles. The blue dragon is immune to this venom and stores the stinging cells on its feather-like appendages, giving it a sting even more painful than that of its