Venomous blue sea dragons wash ashore in Outer Banks

BUXTON, N.C. (WAVY) – Venomous sea slugs have been spotted along North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

Known as blue sea dragons, these slugs live in the ocean and occasionally get washed ashore by strong winds.

A Facebook post by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore advises visitors to admire the creatures from a safe distance and to be cautious that more could be nearby because they can travel in groups.

The slugs are only one inch long and primarily feed on the highly-venomous Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish. They are capable of storing the jellyfish venom for their own defense.

It should be noted that blue sea dragons remain venomous even after they are dead.

Several viewers shared images of the slugs with Nexstar’s WAVY:

Blue sea dragons, meanwhile, can be found in the Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the Atlantic, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The slugs usually reside in “temperate or tropical waters,” but warming waters have also provided the blue sea dragon with additional habitats in recent years, including the Texas Gulf Coast, the department says.

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