![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SCN311225-nudibranch-pic-Ben-John-Killen-Facebook.jpg\")
Ben John Killen posted this photo of a blue dragon at Bokarina.<\/p>\nSunshine Coast beachgoers have been wowed by the sight of some colourful critters that boast some intriguing attributes.<\/p>\n
Glaucus atlanticus, also known as blue dragons, have washed onto some local beaches in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
They are a type of nudibranch (sea slug) that eat jelly-like creatures including blue bottles, by-the-wind sailors and blue buttons.<\/p>\n
Griffith University Professor Kylie Pitt, a marine science expert, said the tiny creatures have some unusual behaviours.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re really weird because, when they eat bluebottles, they actually sequester the stinging cells of the bluebottles,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ben John Killen posted this photo of a blue dragon at Bokarina.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll digest most of the tissue, but they don\u2019t digest the stinging cells.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead, they redistribute the stinging cells to the tips of their appendages.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, they have a defence system, acquired from the bluebottle. When an animal (like fish) wants to eat them, the animal gets a mouthful of stinging cells.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was unsure if the slugs, which are only about 1cm in length, could sting people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey possibly could (but) most people would pick them up with their hands, and the tips of fingers have thick skin so it may not hurt. (But) I tend not to pick them up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Want more free local news? Follow Sunshine Coast News on Facebook<\/a>, LinkedIn <\/a>and Instagram<\/a>, and sign up<\/a> for our FREE daily news email.<\/p>\n Professor Pitt also said the dragons move in a curious way.<\/p>\n \u201cThey basically run around upside down on the underside of the water surface, using the surface tension of the water, until they run into a bluebottle or something they want to eat,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She said the dragons are masters of deception.<\/p>\n \u201cThe blue colour is camouflage. When they\u2019re on the underside of the water surface, an animal looking up has a really hard time distinguishing them from the sky and the waves.\u201d<\/p>\n Professor Pitt said blue dragons were relatively easy to find, despite their small size.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you see bluebottles, it\u2019s really common to see nudibranch as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they (bluebottles and blue dragons) get washed up on to beaches together, when the currents bring them close to shore.\u201d<\/p>\n Beachgoer Ben John Killen was among those to see stranded blue dragons recently.<\/p>\n \u201cJust found these washed up at Bokarina Beach,\u201d he said last month.<\/p>\n Aleesah Darlison was another to see them, in late December.<\/p>\n \u201cFinding the blue glaucus at Bokarina Beach. Do not pick these nudibranchs up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey absorb venom from jellyfish so could be venomous to touch. We used shells to gently scoop them out of the sand, as even the dead ones could cause harm.\u201d<\/p>\n Several people expressed wonder at the creatures.<\/p>\n \u201cOur world is amazing,\u201d Kat Lynn said. \u201cThey are so cool to look at,\u201d Ness Charlton said.<\/p>\n \u201cLeave them alone, to avoid skin irritation,\u201d Mathew Lynn added.<\/p>\n \u201cPretty sure that\u2019s my wife\u2019s earring,\u201d Rodney Duck joked.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SCN311225-nudibranch-pic-shutterstock-2.jpg\")
A blue dragon in the shallows. Picture: Shutterstock.<\/p>\n