Photo: Getty
A TikTok user happened across a potentially dangerous sea creature while enjoying a day at the beach at Stradbroke Island in Queensland, Australia,The Daily Mailreports.
User @julianobayd posted aclipTuesday of himself playing with a tiny blue creature in the water with the text, “Anyone know what this is?” written over the video. In the clip, the man has the tiny blue animal on the tip of his finger before he releases it into the water, where he films it floating above the sand.
In a second TikTok about the sea creature, he noted that it “moves like a Pokémon.”
While the creature is stunning, its beautiful looks are more dangerous than sweet. Commenters warned that the blue animal was a type of nudibranch called a glaucus atlanticus, also known as a blue dragon.
“That’s a glaucus atlanticus it’s a weird dragon thing that are commonly found on the beaches of Australia. It is a VERY poisonous animal,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “this species has an extremely painful sting,” warning @julianobayd, “don’t touch.”
The colorful nudibranch is indeed dangerous — it “incorporates toxic chemicals or stinging cells from its prey into its own skin,” according toOceana.org, and can often be found floating in the water on its backside.
“When the blue dragon is threatened or touched, it can release these stinging cells to deliver a far more potent sting than the Portuguese man o' war can alone,” according to Oceana.
Blue dragons are becoming increasingly common in Australia. They have been washing up on the country’s beaches since early this year, according toVice, which reported in February that the tiny creatures are “turning up in droves” on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Australian Environmental Educators Association marine scientist Sarah-Jo Lobwein told theABC, “in the past few years we’re having a lot more of those nudibranchs than we have before,” perVice.
“I think it is the combination of warming or changing seas … possibly leading to a ‘trigger’ in the explosion of the animals at certain times but reliant on that perfect mix of the effect of the Moon on tides, wind direction, water temperature, and the currents,” Lobwein said.
source: people.com
